The Secret of the Day in a Brown Paper Bag
Can Davey fill the void in his memory?

The story begins with a scene from Davey's father's funeral.
David's family, poor but fearless, lived in harmony and peace without being tied down or entangled with each other, but after his father's death, everything changed.
Now, every night, Mom turns on the lights in the room, and Davey hides a bread knife under his pillow, straining his ears to hear any noise outside the door.
“The people who shot my dad,” said his younger brother Jason.
“What if those people come back and shoot us too?” (page 19) he worries.


Even when Davey goes to school, he has a hard time adjusting.
I keep fainting and suffering from hyperventilation.
One thing that Davey finds particularly difficult to confront is the presence of a brown paper bag in the closet at home.
What secrets could that paper bag hold? Where was Davey and what was he doing the day his father was shot at the 7-Eleven? Judy Blume lovingly follows Davey as he leaves his familiar home to recover and head to his aunt's house, leaving the reader intrigued.
And it movingly depicts the process in which Davey meets his friend 'Wolf' in the canyon and receives psychological counseling, and faces the empty spaces in his memories that he had been avoiding.
The author's attitude of following Davey's healing process closely until the moment when the secret paper bag is opened again is warm and comforting.


Is the world really such a dangerous and scary place?
The story of a fifteen-year-old girl who overcomes tragedy and grows up.

Just as her other work, Forever, boldly and realistically portrayed teenage sex and love, Judy Blume has always pushed boundaries and opened new horizons.
It conveys the concerns and experiences of teenagers as they are, and boldly portrays the contradictions and absurdities of the older generation without hiding them.
In 『The Eyes of the Tiger』, the author's talents are fully demonstrated.


The aunt's house where Davey's family stayed is in Los Alamos, a city with a large white middle-class population.
In contrast to the beautiful and vast natural environment, it is a place where cutting-edge weapons research is conducted.
It is particularly famous as the place where the atomic bomb was first developed.
There, Davey sees firsthand how many people are trapped by feelings of fear and hatred.
And because of that fear, we realize that even simple differences lead to discrimination and leave scars.

The same goes for my aunt's family.
My uncle, who is developing nuclear weapons that can blow up the world but is always worried that danger might strike at any moment, and my aunt, who always regards anyone who is not a white middle-class person as dangerous and is wary of them, are characters who represent the older generation.
They try to monitor Davey's every move, emphasizing how scary the world is.


“It’s dangerous, it’s dangerous, it’s dangerous! Don’t go into the canyon, Davey.
Because you might get hit by a falling rock.
Always wear a helmet when you ride a bike, Davey.
Because you might get hit by a car.
You shouldn't learn to ski, Davey.
“I might end up in a vegetative state!”
I wrote a lot of evil.
“Hey, Davey…….”
My mother came to me.
But I stepped back.

(Pages 213-214)

Author Judy Blume sharply examines the world's absurdities, juxtaposing violent crimes that take away a father's life with other levels of violence that create nuclear weapons, hate minorities, and treat children like the property of adults.
Davey struggles with whether he should continue to live in fear in this world or live more freely and courageously.
And he resolves, “I don’t want to spend my life in fear.” (p. 226)
Through Davey's determination, the author compellingly conveys the point that no matter how complex the world may be, we must learn to face our fears and love life.


“Don’t worry.
We'll all be okay."
How to see the world through the eyes of a tiger

Meanwhile, Wolf, the being who helps Davey to be positive about life, is a shining supporting character in this work.
Wolf is the one who notices and understands the sadness in Davey's eyes.
Thanks to this, Davey is able to look at the world with truly deep and bold eyes.
You will be able to look at life beautifully with a broader understanding and courage.

Author Judy Blume powerfully portrays Davy's steadfast growth in the face of fear and violence.
How are we viewing the world now? As Davy says, "Some changes occur very deep within" (p. 289), now is the time to discover our own "eyes of the tiger."