Leroy Ninker Saddles Up

Over the course of the narrative, Leroy’s personal growth centers on his ability to take action and make his dreams a reality. DiCamillo frames Leroy’s quest to become a cowboy as a journey to embrace his best self—one that allows him to build his confidence and understand what he’s capable of. Answering the ad to purchase Maybelline marks Leroy’s first step toward making his dreams a reality. Having a horse of his own immediately gives Leroy a new, more expansive perspective of himself and the world around him. As he sleeps outside at Maybelline’s feet, he thinks, “Had his heart been waiting for Maybelline to come along so that it could open wide and he could speak all the beautiful words that had been hiding inside of him?” (49). The contentment of achieving a dream is evident in the fact that Leroy’s heart had been waiting for Maybelline and that it had opened “wide.” Instead of spouting generic compliments to fulfill Patty’s instructions, Leroy utters “beautiful words” to Maybelline, demonstrating his happiness. When he wonders if this poetry “had been hiding inside of him” (49), Leroy suggests that by going after his dream to become a cowboy, he’s unlocked a joyful part of himself that he never realized existed.