He had been a boy who liked to draw, according to my friend, so he became an architect. Children who drew,I learned, became architects; I had thought they became painters. My friend explained that it was not proper to become a painter; it couldn't be done. I resigned myself to architecture school and a long life of drawing buildings. It was a pity, for I disliked buildings, considering them only a stiffer and more ample form of clothing, and no more important.
The narrator reflects on their childhood aspiration while discussing the paths children take based on their interests. A friend mentions that boys who enjoy drawing often become architects, leading the narrator to accept their fate of attending architecture school, despite their disinterest. This insight reveals societal views on acceptable careers that can restrict individual choices from a young age.
As the narrator contemplates their acceptance of this career path, they reveal their true feelings about buildings, describing them as merely a more rigid and oversized version of clothing. This metaphor illustrates the narrator's disregard for architecture and highlights the tension between societal expectations and personal passions. The narrator's struggle emphasizes the way creative desires can be shaped by external pressures.