He then visits his elderly neighbor Walt, his Iranian classmate Baback, and a beautiful Christian home-schooler named Lauren. His first gift is one presented out of spite: He cuts off all of his long blond hair and leaves it for his mother. This is why Asher must die with him.īefore he dies, Leonard wants to give gifts to the few individuals who have impacted his life. Leonard reveals late in the story that Asher Beal raped and abused him for two years when he was younger. The fact that no one acknowledges this monumental day solidifies his belief that life isn’t worth living. He has few acquaintances, let alone friends, who would even know his birthday. Leonard’s relationships with teachers are tense, except for the one he was with Herr Silverman. She’s having an affair with a Frenchman and rarely comes home. His mother spends most of her time in a New York apartment to advance her fashion design career. His father fled the country some time ago when his gambling debts caught up with him.
No one has remembered Leonard’s birthday. In his annotated narrative, he begs adults to prove to him that life really does get better. Leonard concludes that he doesn’t know anyone over 18 who wouldn’t be better off dead. He remembers his teacher, Herr Silverman, saying some people killed themselves or their families just to avoid being taken away. These adults remind him of Jews being put on trains and taken to death camps. He thinks a lot about German atrocities since he’s taking a Holocaust class in school.
They don’t look happy in either direction. Sometimes he skips school and rides the subway just to watch adults going to and from work. Leonard is a depressed teen who envisions a hopeless future.
He’s going to kill his childhood friend Asher Beal, and then himself with his grandfather’s Nazi-era P38 handgun. Leonard Peacock has big plans for his 18th birthday.
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