Betrayal in childhood can cause the loss of the sense of security and trust. To a child, when the world becomes destroyed, it no longer appears as a safe place. When the reliance upon adults disappears, the realization of the real world begins to set in place. In Gorilla, My Love and Happy Birthday by Toni Cade Bambara, the young protagonists face betrayal and disappointment from a seemingly reliable childhood illusion, leaving both feeling lonely and overlooked. Both Hazel and Ollie live trapped in the fictional world of believing people’s words and expecting things to happen how they want. Hazel feels a sense of hopelessness when she realizes that her uncle will not marry her, and she hates that they “don’t even say they sorry”(Gorilla 49). Hazel does not realize that her uncle jokes about marrying…show more content… Hazel goes to “see the manager [to] get [her] money back”(Gorilla 47). Normally a little girl would not do something like this, but the fact that Hazel did it shows that she voices her opinion whether people want to hear it. Hazel’s determined attitude convinces other people to listen to her. Ollie also does things that typical young children would not do. Ollie “swing[s] up past the fourth floor to the roof” to see if the big boys need anything (Happy 64). She goes to talk to the big kids because she feels lonely, whereas a typical young child would not want to surround herself with older kids. Because Ollie thinks she acts mature for her age, her voice appears more confident. Hazel and Ollie appear “ not afraid to scrutinize [their] elders” (Bambara par 14). Both young protagonists do not appear scared to speak their minds and stand up to older people. Because they do not censor themselves, their voices sound confident in everything they say. Ollie and Hazel express their thoughts in a way that persuades people into believing their
