Squeaky bases her opinions of people on what they can accomplish, and after the race she realizes her brother does have some skill at running.
Squeaky has a high opinion of herself, but she also asks a lot of herself and expects as much of others. Squeaky hates false modesty, and believes that people should be proud of accomplishments. She values working hard.
Raymond has special needs, and this means that although he is older Squeaky usually takes care of him, rather than the other way around. She stands up for Raymond when people make fun of him, too. At the same time, Squeaky values her individuality. She takes care of her brother, but she takes pride in her running.
There is no track meet that I don’t win the first-place medal. I used to win the twenty-yard dash when I was a little kid in kindergarten. Nowadays, it’s the fifty-yard dash. And tomorrow I’m subject to run the quarter-meter relay all by myself and come in first, second, and third.
During the race on May Day, Squeaky comes to a new appreciation of Gretchen, a neighborhood girl who also likes to run. When Gretchen comes in second and puts in a formidable showing, Squeaky acknowledges and admires this. She is also very impressed with Raymond. He paced her for the entire race, racing along with her in a race of his own.
… Raymond jumps down from the fence and runs over with his teeth showing and his arms down to the side, which no one before him has quite mastered as a running style. And by the time he comes over I’m jumping up and down so glad to see him—my brother Raymond, a great runner in the family tradition.
Squeaky respects accomplishment. After Raymond’s run, she sees him in a new light. Like her newfound respect for Gretchen, Squeaky comes to realize that Raymond has potential. She sees a common ground. The two of them can run together and train together, and in this way they can be real siblings.
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