Walter Stoffel

Arthur Walter Stoffel

Arthur Berndt is an eleven-year-old boy growing up on 1950s Long Island. His life revolves around one, overriding task: surviving under the same roof with his abusive father August. In response to the world he is trapped in at home, outside his house he lives a life that consists of equal parts delinquency and isolation. Only in school has Arthur found a measure of normalcy. There, he is succeeding academically and has found a measure of predictability and stability that exists nowhere else for the youngster. Over the years of his short life, Arthur has gradually gained a sense that he isn't growing up like other children. This awareness has only increased his self-consciousness-and anger. The self-consciousness has led to keeping secrets, both about himself and his family. Arthur is driven to hide who he is and where he is from. He spends much of his time in the nearby woods, finding there a measure of safety and anonymity that he desperately craves. As for his anger, he acts out on the streets, fearing the rest of the world less than he does his father. Arthur has been headed down the wrong road since he could walk. It remains to be seen if someone will come to Arthur's rescue and point him in the right direction.