Defining Moments

Become Who You Are 77

Nevertheless, had Denny looked into his knapsack, he would

have found a set of clear expectations about the right way—the

morally valid way—for him to live his life. ‘‘Roles were set,’’ Trillin

writes, ‘‘and set for life.’’ Some of these expectations were Denny’s

own, some originated with the friends who adulated him in high

school and college, and some were 1950s notions of what defined

a decent, responsible life for someone with his background. He was

expected to complete his Rhodes scholarship at Oxford, graduate

from a first-class law school, get married somewhere along the way,

and then begin his political ascent.

The weight of these expectations eventually crushed Denny, for

the right life for him was very different. He wanted ...