It is known that social environment does influence the
limits of our options. Being born in a safe, stable, open-minded and
resourceful environment is a luxury that not many people have. There are always
boundaries between what we want and what we can do to get what we want. Also,
there will always be a price paid to get over these boundaries whether it is
money, time or effort. In Before the
Barbecue Hoedown by Mark Poirier, the main character has to get over the
boundaries. The problem is when factors such as poverty, lack of education and
sometimes just being in the place itself makes overcoming these boundaries
unaffordable. That being said, it will always be up to you to decide how far
you are ready to go to get what you want.
Pulling actions is never an easy task when people are
suffering from limited abilities. In these situations people are into two
types, first those who would try for a while but it is extremely easy to have
despair crawling up their motivation and eating their will leaving them
hopeless and depressed. These people might seek easy solutions even if it meant
doing wrong. Despite not being a rule, but for the same reason the crime rates
in poor and less developed countries tend to be much higher than in rich and
more advanced ones. However, there is always an oasis somewhere in the desert;
these oases are the other type of people. For this type, they will always keep
on going the right way despite everything coming against them. People from this
type do not limit themselves with options that are easy to get and they commit
to what they want no matter what.
Having an unordinary life cannot stop you to be motivated. Being
special since birth, Jackpot – the main character in “Before the Barbecue
Hoedown” one of the short stories in Poirier’s novelette “Naked Pueblo” –
belonged to the second type. Jackpot was born for a stripper mother and a
Mormon rancher father in a city on the borders between the US and Mexico. Soon
after her birth her mother left with her to settle in a very small city in the
US. Being through all of this, Jackpot did not have enough resources to get
what she wanted – that was attending university. In cases like these, most
people would not even think about university or education in the first place.
This type of people will never stop at what is available. They will dream big
and always push the limit up. Jackpot knew already that walking towards such a
tough goal for a girl in her situation will be a long and hard way but she was
ready not only to walk but to march towards it. She did not let her limited
experience limit her dreams but on the contrary, she used it as a motivation to
push her dreams up.
Failure is a reason to keep moving on. Morgan says commitment is where the people who
belong to the second type show what they are made from, and often requires
sacrifice in order to achieve a particular goal. As for Jackpot, in order to
study in university she got a job in the city where she wants to study in order
to gain money and get familiar with the city. During being there she saw things
she did not like and found herself in situations she did not want to be in but
she kept on going. In the end she was shocked and almost gave up when her boss
– an aged woman – killed the pig she was growing in the house as a pet for a
barbecue gathering with her friends. On her way home she got molested by the
midget living near from her house after offering him a ride so, save him from
walking in the heat. That incident created a positive reaction as it reminded
her that this is where she will be if she gives up and stays. That is why she
turned back and decided to get another job.
In conclusion, having boundaries in life is not always a
bad thing, as we will be pushed to learn more in order overcome what we face.
Also, we can always create a motivation from our surrounding environment
itself. As what happened to Jackpot and her cruel environment, she keeps going
chase her goals. It is never an easy task to accomplish big goals but it is
never impossible as well.
Reference
Morgan,
Rebecca L. 1996. The Power of Commitment.
http://www.rebeccamorgan.com/articles/misc/misc16.html
accessed on 5-6-2012
Poirier,
Mark J. 1998. Naked Pueblo. New York:
Crown
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