The Jacket
Have you ever had an article of clothing that you despised? Has your mom ever bought you
something that she thought was cool, but in reality failed you? In the story The Jacket by Gary Soto, a
mother buys her son a jacket that she thought he would love, however, the jacket impacts the
narrator/boy in negative ways by causing him turmoil at school, made him over react to situations, and
made him feel depressed and insecure.
The guacamole colored jacket with vinyl sleeves and mustard colored lining caused the boy turmoil at
school. When he arrived at school, he felt very self- conscious. On Page 56, it states “Steve Negrete, ate
an apple looking at me, and the girls turned away to whisper on the monkey bars. The teachers were no
help: they looked my way and talked about how foolish I looked in my new jacket. I saw their heads
bob with laughter, their hands half covering their mouths.” The boy felt he was being ridiculed from all
angles, his friends, the girls, and the teachers. He carried his shame and embarrassment on his
shoulders and felt he had no- where to turn.
In addition to causing him turmoil at school, the jacket also made the boy frustrated, causing him to
over react to everyday situations. It’s almost like he was a time bomb waiting to explode. On page 56,
it states “Darn dog, I thought , and pushed him away hard when he tried to bite again”. The boy had
been dangling his sleeves at the dog and then over reacted when the dog actually treated the sleeves as
if they were a chew toy. The dog became the victim of his frustration.
Furthermore, the awful green jacket made the boy feel depressed and insecure. After the dog
incident, on Page 56, it reads, “I got up from my knees and went to my bedroom to sit with my jacket on
my lap, with the lights out”.Sitting in the dark was one of the first signs that he felt depressed about the
jacket. The boy’s comment on page 57, “I blame that jacket for those bad years”, also indicates that the
jacket had a negative impact on him even years later. The fact that he ran to the alley to think bad
thought s (Page 57) reveals that the jacket made him feel emotional and insecure.
In conclusion, even though the boy’s mother had the best of intentions, the guacamole jacket with
the mustard colored lining impacted her son in negative ways. It caused him emotional distress at
school and made him emotionally unstable.
Outline:
Paragraph 1- State your claim and identify your thesis statement. Your thesis statement should support
your claim(3 reasons/ideas)
Paragraph 2- Use textual evidence to support idea #1 (caused him turmoil at school)
Paragraph 3- Use textual evidence to support idea #2 (made him over react to situations)
Paragraph 4- Use textual evidence to support idea # 3(made him feel depressed and insecure)
Paragraph 5- Conclusion (restate thesis in a different way)