THE BOY WHO NEVER LEARNED

Susan Refalda-Mercaida wrote the book The Boy Who Never Learned. This is an example
of a short narrative, a genre of prose fiction. It is a short artistic form of prose fiction that
focuses on a single main incident involving one or more characters and is intended to
produce a single dominant impression. The short story, The Boy Who Never Learned, is
about the friendship between Danny Dimatuto, a boy who was mocked by others because of
his poor intellect, and Ben, a boy who stood above the rest and got along well with Danny.

Danny Dimatuto's house was one of Ben's favorites. The newly paved road was only a short
distance away. The smooth sway, the soft cushion that smelled like starch, and the subtle
flicker of the gas-powered lamp were all things he adored. Even with this youngster, the
son of his mother's friend, Danny felt lonely. Did his friends and acquaintances share his
fear? But they appeared to be fearless, as if they were unafraid of anything. He wanted he
could be like everyone else, like Ben.

Danny Dimatuto praised Mang Doro, calling him a good man, but the reader knows the
exact reverse. The author then used symbolism to represent Bensignor as a loyal and
honest buddy. Finally, the writer created suspense by speculating on whether Ben would
abandon his friendship due of Danny's stupidity following a fight between them.