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2. 1962
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Shoe Dog, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Entrepreneurship, Experience, and Perseverance
Leadership
Global Economies
Balancing Family and Work
Summary
Analysis
After Knight returns home, Bill invites the neighbors over, and Knight shows them the various pictures he took during his trip. However, the whole time, he cannot stop thinking about the Temple of Nike and wondering what happened to his shoes, which never arrived. Knight writes to the people at Onitsuka and asks them what happened. They quickly write back and tell him the shoes will come soon. However, Knight is doubtful.
An important theme in the memoir is balancing family life with work life. Later, Knight will admit that he could be better at managing the family side of things. Often, even when he is home, his work distracts him, and he has difficulty sitting still and simply enjoying time with his loved ones.
Themes
Knight decides he needs to get a job. He talks to Bill’s friend, Mr. Frisbee who is an accomplished businessman. Knight tells Mr. Frisbee he does not know what he wants to do with his life. Mr. Frisbee advises Knight to get his CPA, which will help him earn a higher salary in the long run.
CPA stands for Certified Public Accountant, and it is a license allowing an accountant to provide their services to the public. It is a difficult license to obtain and requires several rounds of exams, though, as Mr. Frisbee says, it is an excellent financial investment.
Themes
Knight takes nine credit hours’ worth of accounting classes at Portland State to qualify for his CPA exam. Afterward, he works at an accounting firm, Lybrand, Ross Bros. & Montgomery. Knight learns some valuable lessons while working at the from but does not enjoy the work. He does not like people constantly looking over his shoulder to see what he is doing. However, the job gives him enough money to buy a new car. At lunchtime, Knight leaves the office, thinks about his time abroad, and wonders about the future.
Although Knight excels in many areas, he often feels he does not fit it. His dislike of people looking over his shoulder suggests he wants to be his own boss, which is not possible for him at this stage in life. Knight’s work at Lybrand, Ross Bros. & Montgomery is valuable because it teaches him what he does and does not want in a job.
Themes
