James Chakey
Mr. Boham
Ancient World Literature Block B
5-6-10
Buried Onions
Buried Onions by Gary Soto is a very emotional novel that shows the interior
of the ghetto in Fresno, California. Many emotions like sadness, anger, depression,
and compassion are used throughout the book. The protagonist Eddie first appears
in the novel as a depressed teenager who is struggling in the economy and with
another gang. About a week or two before, Eddie’s cousin had been killed in a
shooting with another gang. Not only was Eddie having trouble physically but also
emotionally. Eddie’s other cousin, Juses, is Eddie’s only trusted companion that runs
the streets and fights other gangs. The two watch each other’s backs when it comes
to back allies and crossing other turf.
Eddie finally catches a break when he goes to work for his uncle at a
landscaping company. He was getting paid better money than he was before and it
was keeping him out of trouble. Until the company truck went missing. Eddie was
than accused of stealing the truck when he found the keys in his bag. Eddie left the
keys on his uncle’s windshield with a note that claimed he was innocent. He couldn’t
tell his uncle in person because now people will be looking for him. Eddie than laid
low for a while. When his uncle got the note he believed him and called off the
search party. But who framed Eddie?
Eddie had received a tip from one of his family members that the gang who
had killed his cousin was out to get him and Juses. But Eddie wanted revenge. He
wanted to get the gang for framing him and killing a part of his own family. Eddie
was angry and sad, but had a sort of calmness towards the situation.
Throughout the book, different situations like these occur between Eddie and
the other gang members. He shows no fear when he is up against them but also just
wants to stay out of trouble and make some money for his family and himself. He
didn’t want to fight intentionally, but he wasn’t going to be bullied by someone who
had no goal in life.
I would recommend this book to all readers. Especially if you have read the
book The Outsiders. Buried Onions has a very similar plot summary to The
Outsiders but instead of a full gang versus another full gang, its one teenager versus
the streets. Buried Onions has a lot of themes and emotions that really gets the
reader into the story. It also shows how much of a struggle it was for Eddie.