People sometimes do not realize that it is okay to be different. They may try to be someone they are not to conform to what others find acceptable. They also may change what they look like, or even how they act to fit in. This is how the main character, Jordan, feels from the story, New Kid, by Jerry Craft. In the story, Jordan, a 12 year old African American boy, recently transfers to a prestigious new school that has mostly white kids. He makes a few friends along the way, but struggles to understand how he can fit in at this school with other students who are much more well off than he is. Throughout the story, Jordan is bullied for not having a lot of money and not wearing the best clothes, while also dealing with racist comments from …show more content…
Jordan knows a racist comment when he hears one, but chooses to let it go. In the story, he becomes indifferent when racist comments and jokes are made at his school. My first piece of evidence to support my claim is when Jordan made the soccer team in the late fall season. When it was time for his first game, he showed up with a scarf and his favorite winter coat on. His coach made fun of him by telling him that he should not be cold because his skin color attracts the sunlight. Rather than defend himself, Jordan just replied by saying, “Yes, Coach,” not wanting to get benched from the game (pg. 77). Jordan played hard during the game, desperate to prove his worth as a player. The team lost 11-1, with Jordan scoring the only goal made. Another piece of evidence that supports my claim is on page 169 when one of the kids decided that they should hold a tanning contest and whoever had the darkest skin tone at the end of the week would win. This contest led to Jordan and the other black students making fun of the white students because they had an edge on the competition. In this moment, Jordan finally felt superior to his white peers knowing that his skin tone would be darker than theirs. However at the same time, Jordan also began to see how the color of his skin shouldn’t make him feel inferior.This shows that in the middle of the story New Kid by Jerry Craft Jordan begins to learn that it's ok to be different and to just be himself no matter what other people think of