Disappointment In Gary Soto's The Jacket

Most generally, people remember that one disappointment, that one time where they felt betrayed by their family and peers. In the case of the small boy in Gary Soto’s The Jacket, he feels let down by his mother, friends, teachers, and many other peers. Due to the embarrassment he receives from a new guacamole-green jacket with yellow lining, this boy turns depressed. Teachers, friends, and other kids at school all revile against him just due to his appearance and how he dresses, which in this case he cannot control. From disappointment to mockery, this young boy faces much persecution, lost friends, disrespectful teachers, and an incompetent mother; his feelings toward the jacket rash, leading to several unpleasant instances, which therefore

In the story, the child proclaims his instantaneous rancor for the jacket as he views it for the first time, “I wanted to cry because it was so ugly and so big I knew I’d have to wear it for a long time” (Soto). Due to growing out of his former, the boy needs a new jacket, wherewith his mother purchases a new one for him, nothing that he expected. He realizes what he must endure at school and in public, walking around like a massive avocado with no skin. Bitterly, the boy affirms his distaste for the jacket, knowing no way out will arise. In his mind, the reality of his upcoming days and weeks of school overtook the thoughts, he knows the upcoming emotional pain and suffering. In an optimistic attempt, the boy strives to restyle his hair in order to look a bit more ordinary, “.. and combed my hair to see what I would look like doing something natural. I looked ugly” (Soto). Unfortunately, the restyle fails to work, clearly addressed in that the boy believes he looks ugly. Desperately, he strives to solve this issue before the undeniable fact that he must attend school. He attempts to conform to society, to fit in with many other