In Best Foot Forward, by Joan Bauer, Jenna Boller is the main character who is trying to follow the rules and do anything she can to not end up like her alcoholic father who left. She wanted to be a great employee at Gladstone Shoes for her wonderful boss while helping Tanner Cobb, a new employee who began working at Gladstone Shoes because he felt guilty for stealing a pair of shoes for his family. Jenna knew about Tanner’s past and his parole officer, but she also knew that he was a great person who only stole because he needed to support his family. However, this plan changes when it is discovered that one of the factories is in Thailand, which employs children and treats them cruelly. This is a problem because Gladstone Shoes are known …show more content…
The way that he turns his life around shows that sometimes people can change. “Take a subject like Tanner Cobb […] My mind said, Don’t trust him. My instincts said, He might not be all that bad. Inconsistencies are a royal pain; the older you get, the more they multiply”(Bauer, 5). Tanner’s change in lifestyle proves to Jenna that people are not always predictable, and he ends up proving that to her every day. When Tanner finishes his tasks at work on time, it surprises Jenna, for example when he says this, “‘I did the boxes.’ Tanner Cobb stood at my desk. I only jumped a little. He couldn’t have finished that job already. It would have taken me all day”(Bauer, 67). This shows that Tanner is beginning to change and as time goes by, he proves himself better and better to his co-workers and also proves that they can trust him. Tanner, just like the company, takes all the hate and criticism from others, yet is still able to build himself back up and become better for his family and for himself as …show more content…
Gladstone turns the company around and publicly states an apology to all the workers in the Thailand factory. Mrs. Gladstone is very committed and it shows Jenna that you can change your ways and become better. “Mrs. Gladstone rose and grabbed her cane” (Bauer, 278). This shows that even in her old age she can realize mistakes that she’s made, and she can still change any negatives about herself. “Every time Elden got in front of a reporter, he started sputtering and sweating. After a while, he just copped out with, ‘No comment.’ But Mrs. Gladstone could not be silenced” (Bauer 288). This shows that Mrs. Gladstone could change her ways and prove that she was going to change for the