Mother's new form of torture was to order Dave to take off all of his clothes and lay in a bathtub face down for hours. And one time she even forced his head completely below the surface and almost killed the boy. Then after he got done with his "bath," Mother made him sit outside in forty degree weather for hours, while the rest of his family sat inside and shared a meal. David was almost for sure that he would die. But then after a few months of her brutal beatings, she sat Dave down and told him she was sorry. She hugged him and said that everything was going to be okay, and that all the punishments were over. Dave was shocked, and to his surprise Mother stayed true to her promise for a few days. She fed him, let him watch TV, and even let David play with his brothers. But only a few days... until she went back to her evil ways.
David lost all hope. He even wanted to die. He wished that mother would show him mercy and just kill him. David's father (who used to be the only person he could trust), walked out on David and his family. David then started doing things purposefully to agitate Mother. He did his chores sloppily in hopes that Mother would beat him to death afterward. He hated the whole world, and most of all, God. Although, in the very last few lines of the book David says,"I clasped my hands together, bent my head down, closed my eyes and prayed with all my heart... with peace in my heart, I whispered, '...and deliver me from evil. Amen'" (Pelzer 153).
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