Question

the jacket
by gary soto
period: 1
who’s to blame?
directions: in \the jacket,\ several people or things might be responsible for how gary feels—his mom, the jacket, society, classmates, or even himself. your job is to decide how much each one is to blame.
determine how much each person or thing is to blame by dividing up the pie chart below. correlate each section with the amount of blame you think it deserves. label it with a title and percentage. then, on the next page, explain your thinking.

Explanation:

This analysis is based on Gary Soto's The Jacket, focusing on Gary's negative feelings tied to the ill-fitting, ugly jacket.

1. Classmates: Their direct teasing and mockery of the jacket are the immediate cause of Gary's embarrassment, so they bear the largest share of blame.
2. Society: The unspoken pressure on kids to fit in with trendy, acceptable clothing creates the environment where the jacket becomes a target, contributing significantly to Gary's distress.
3. Mom: She bought the cheap, ill-fitting jacket due to financial limits, but her intent was to provide for Gary, so her share of blame is smaller.
4. Gary himself: He internalizes the shame and lets the jacket define his self-perception, adding a small portion of responsibility.
5. The Jacket: It is the inanimate object that triggers the conflict, so it holds minimal blame as a passive item.

of Thinking:

• Classmates (40%): Their direct, cruel teasing about the jacket is the immediate source of Gary's humiliation at school, making them the most responsible for his negative daily experiences.
• Society (30%): The unwritten social rules that enforce conformity in children's clothing create the context where an "ugly" jacket makes someone a target. This cultural pressure sets up the situation where Gary feels alienated.
• Gary's Mom (15%): She chose the cheap, ill-fitting jacket out of financial necessity, not malice, but her failure to consider how the jacket would be received by Gary's peers contributes to his distress.
• Gary himself (10%): He allows the jacket to shape his self-image and withdraws from social interactions, amplifying his own negative feelings instead of pushing back against the teasing.
• The Jacket (5%): It is merely the physical object that enables the conflict, with no agency of its own, so it bears the least blame.

Answer:

Pie Chart Breakdown (Labels & Percentages):

• Classmates: 40%
• Society (peer pressure/norms): 30%
• Gary's Mom: 15%
• Gary himself: 10%
• The Jacket: 5%