"The Jacket" is a short story by Gary Soto about a young Mexican-American boy who desperately wants a new jacket to impress his classmates. He tries to convince his mother to buy him one, but she insists that his old jacket is still good enough. Eventually, the boy manages to save up enough money to buy a jacket himself, but it is not the one he wanted. Despite this, he still wears the jacket and realizes that it brings him unexpected benefits. The theme of the story is that material possessions and external appearances are not as important as inner character and personal growth. The boy learns that the jacket he receives, while not what he initially wanted, helps him to become more confident and independent. He realizes that he doesn't need