Why Was Dave Called 'It' In 'A Child Called "It"'?

2025-06-14 08:10:06 391

3 Answers

Xavier
Xavier
2025-06-15 00:08:42
The nickname 'It' in 'A Child Called "It"' is one of the most brutal aspects of Dave Pelzer's memoir. His mother didn't just dehumanize him—she stripped him of identity entirely. Calling him 'It' was her way of treating him like an object, not a child. She denied him meals, forced him into grueling chores, and physically abused him while favoring his siblings. The name reflects how she saw him: worthless, disposable, and undeserving of even basic recognition. What makes it worse is how systematic the abuse was. The other kids in school picked up on it too, isolating him further. This wasn’t just cruelty; it was psychological erasure.
Cadence
Cadence
2025-06-18 05:48:07
Dave’s mother in 'A Child Called "It"' didn’t just abuse him physically—she weaponized language to break him. The term 'It' reduced him to something subhuman, reinforcing her control. Unlike his brothers, who had names and normal lives, Dave was treated as a thing to torment. His mother’s tactics included starvation, forced vomit-eating, and public humiliation, but the nickname was the ultimate symbol of her cruelty. It wasn’t random; it was calculated to make him internalize worthlessness.

The memoir doesn’t shy away from how this affected Dave’s psyche. Being called 'It' made him question whether he even deserved to exist. The other children absorbed this narrative, treating him like a pariah. What’s chilling is how ordinary the abuse seemed to outsiders—teachers and neighbors ignored the signs. The nickname wasn’t just a label; it was a tool to isolate and crush his spirit.

Pelzer’s story stands out because it shows resilience. Surviving that level of dehumanization required unimaginable strength. The title forces readers to confront how easily society overlooks abuse when it’s framed as 'discipline.' It’s a reminder that words can be as violent as fists.
Quinn
Quinn
2025-06-20 19:41:59
Reading 'A Child Called "It"' feels like watching someone’s humanity be systematically erased. Dave’s mother didn’t just hit him—she unpersoned him. The nickname 'It' was part of a larger pattern: feeding him scraps while his siblings ate normally, making him sleep in the basement, and inventing twisted 'games' to hurt him. The name stripped him of personhood, turning him into a target for endless cruelty.

What’s horrifying is how the abuse escalated. Early on, Dave was just another kid in the family. But as his mother’s mental state deteriorated, she fixated on him, using 'It' to justify the unjustifiable. The memoir doesn’t offer easy explanations, but it’s clear the nickname was meant to make the abuse feel deserved. It’s a stark look at how language can enable violence.

The book’s power comes from its raw honesty. Pelzer doesn’t dramatize; he recounts. That simplicity makes the nickname hit harder. 'It' wasn’t a slip of the tongue—it was a weapon.
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