Symbols In Gary Soto's 'The Jacket'

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Elementary school is a big step, especially getting ready for middle school. For example if one is bitter towards someone, meaning jealous or angry, then their middle school years won’t go very well. They will go through being angry and it will make them focus on less important stuff rather than their studies or sports. Similar to the boy in “The Jacket” by “Gary Soto,”he goes through his life being jealous of kids that are happy or have good relationships and new clothes. The boy does not like the jacket his mother got him and does not appreciate it enough, even though it gets the job done. In other words, one does not get what they always want, one has to appreciate what they get, this supports the overarching theme and is represented by the symbolism, the setting, and the metaphors. …show more content…

In the article the boy says,”That green ugly brother who breathed over my shoulder that day and ever since.” He realizes that not everything you get is the most beautiful thing ever. You have to work with what you have get and have to enjoy it while you can because you have memories, good or bad in and with everything. Next, the article states, “I stared at the jacket, like an enemy, thinking bad things before I took off my old jacket whose sleeves climbed halfway to my elbow.” This connects to the above quote because he classifies the jacket as an enemy then later he calls it a brother which shows he finally understands that he needs the jacket to stay warm. He explains that the jacket is necessary for him and he has to live with