Why I wrote "Perley" continued

Though Perley chose to live what most of us view as a simple, uncomplicated life, at least in his later years, he was a complex human being. He grew up with a deeply ingrained puritanical view of the world. To him something was either right or it was wrong and he had a hard time understanding or accepting anything that ended up in a grey area. When faced with what life had to throw at him, Perley sometimes reacted in ways that we, now, might find difficult to understand. Perhaps the hardest choice for me to make while writing this book was how to portray Perley. Was he the loving grandfather I had always idealized and who always treated me kindly or was he the narcissistic, pig-headed and stubborn individual I discovered as I read through some of his poetry and letters. Often, I wanted to shake some sense into him and make him see what he was doing to his life and family by his actions. In the end, I decided I didn't have to portray him in any certain light, he was who he was and like most human beings he had his good side and bad side and I would try to portray him as honestly as possible and leave it up to the reader to decide whether they can forgive him for his actions and like him for the person he became. (to be continued)