Bad Haircut by Tom Perrotta is a collection of short stories about Buddy, a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1970s. In these stories Perrotta often introduces characters who wear false facades that do not resemble themselves. Later in the book, these pretenses are eliminated and people's true personalities are revealed. Buddy's first impressions of Jane, Weiner Man, and Sharon are very different from their real characters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Although Jane Pasco seems like a normal, balanced teenager, her home life reveals that she is very overworked and stressed. At the beginning of a story, Buddy sees Jane as a normal girl with a normal life. Buddy observes “The Pascos? Are they the average American family?" (Perrotta 174). Buddy sees Jane's family as the quintessence of the ordinary. They have literally achieved the title of the most average family and everything seems to be splendid. As the story progresses, however, Buddy discovers that Jane's life is anything but ordinary. After Mike, Jane's boyfriend, broke up with Jane, he realized his mistake and "began to torment Jane, calling her every night, leaving gifts near the her locker and generally making a spectacle of her misery. turned [Jane] into a nervous wreck" (167). Jane is not quite the happy, normal teenager America sees. She has a man stalking her constantly, the pain of an emotional breakup, and Mike's suicide attempt weighing on her conscience, causing her great anxiety. On top of all his social struggles is his family life, which is full of problems. The factory where Jane's father worked “closed without warning. He spent a few months looking for work, then became depressed and settled for a long time on the living room sofa. He… would throw tantrums sometimes… She would rush home from cheerleading practice to make dinner for her father, Matt, and Pam, and then spend another hour cleaning” (170). Jane has a mountain of responsibilities, much more than the average teenager, which puts a strain on her physically and mentally. Jane's father is a rough bum whose unemployment forces Jane's mother to work grueling hours and her brother is a sour boy who needs constant care. As the book progresses, Buddy discovers that Jane and her seemingly mediocre family are not the normal family they seem. Similar to Jane, the Wiener Man appears to be a joyful and beloved hero, but in reality he is a sad and loner. Man. When Buddy first sees the Wiener Man, he appears to be a larger than life figure: "The Wiener Man towered over his opponent... The Wiener Man was taller than the yellow umbrella on the hot dog stand." (5,10). These initial impressions show Buddy's amazement at finally seeing the great and powerful Weiner Man. However, Buddy's brief glimpse does not match reality. “Up close you could see that the Wiener Man was not as tall as he first seemed… He was no longer the Wiener Man. He was this normal looking boy” (8.15). Once Buddy takes a closer look, he realizes that the Weiner Man is not a "superhero". You see that Mr. Amalfi is just an average guy. And not only is the man from Vienna a simple man, but he is also sad and lonely. The Wiener Man himself exclaims, "It seemed like a fun way to live... speeding down the highway... Happy?... I don't know about that... It gets a little lonely sometimes" (18.19 ). Buddy sees the Viennese man as a fun and free man who crosses the country. In reality, Mr. Amalfi lives in a cramped trailer and must travel from city to city in solitude. The Wiener Man is a dejected and abandoned man, not an esteemed hero. Likewise,".