Courtesy is the most important word in the story, “Little Things Are Big” by Jesus Colon, because it helps convey the theme. In the story, there is a writer on the way to Brooklyn who sees a twenty year old lady in need of help. The lady had a baby, a suitcase, a three year old girl, and a five year old boy, but the writer can’t decide whether or not to help the lady.
Throughout the story the author talks about courtesy and how it impacts lives. One example from the text is when the author wrote, "courtesy is important to us Puerto Ricans." That was the first sentence in the third paragraph, on line 15. This quote conveys the theme because it contributes to his internal struggle about whether or not to help the family he saw in the subway.