Question

feelings that tell you each character’s point of view.
look into the text
my nickname’s “heartbeat,” because my friends swear that
you can actually see the pulse on my bare chest. i’ve always been
skinny. everyone assumes i’m a weakling because i’m so thin (i
prefer “lean and mean” or “wiry”), despite being a three - sport
athlete. i decided to do something about it this fall when sarah,
the girl i have a crush on, said “oh my god... you are so skinny.”
she was visibly repulsed by my sunken chest as i stepped off the
soccer bus after practice. i silently vowed to do everything within
my power to become the “after” picture. i was sixteen years old,
but looked like i was eleven.

character	characters thoughts and feelings	are they
sarah

b. answer the questions about the characters’ points of view.
does appearance matter to heartbeat, the narrator? to sarah? why or
why not?

Explanation:

For the table (completing character's thoughts and feelings):

• “Heartbeat”: Also feels self - conscious about his thinness (since he vows to change his appearance after Sarah’s reaction) and is determined to change his look (as he wants to be the “after” picture).
• Sarah: Is repulsed by “Heartbeat”’s sunken chest (from the text “She was visibly repulsed by my sunken chest”).

For part B (answering the question about appearance mattering):

• To Heartbeat (the narrator): Appearance matters. He is a three - sport athlete but is seen as a weakling because of his thinness. Also, after Sarah’s repulsed reaction to his appearance, he vows to change his look to be the “after” picture. His self - perception and the reaction of others (especially Sarah) make him want to alter his appearance.
• To Sarah: Appearance matters. She is visibly repulsed by “Heartbeat”’s sunken chest, showing that his physical appearance has a negative impact on her perception of him.

Answer:

Table Completion:

• “Heartbeat”: also self - conscious, determined to change appearance
• Sarah: repulsed by Heartbeat’s sunken chest

Part B Answer:

• To Heartbeat: Yes. He’s seen as weak due to thinness, and Sarah’s reaction makes him want to change his look.
• To Sarah: Yes. She’s repulsed by Heartbeat’s sunken chest, so his appearance matters to her.