What would you expect to be the mindset of a misfit kid who isn’t really that popular who is playing baseball with the other kids because he wants to fit in with them instead of being himself? There is such a boy in a first person short story that was written by a worldly-renowned author. In “Eye Ball,” Spiegelman uses characterization to develop the theme of be yourself and don’t try to fit in with others at the expense of showing your true self.
Spiegelman’s use of the little misfit boy as a round character reflects the theme because he realizes that he doesn’t fit in so well with all the other boys. Being a kid with Amblyopia, or “lazy eye”, he already knew that he was at a disadvantage and he points out his condition when he is saying “since I’m virtually blind in my left eye” and when he said “Amblyopia, a “lazy eye,” made my whole world 2D” (130). He still tries to play baseball with the other boys, but he quickly finds out that he isn’t that good at it. Identification can be made with the out-of-place feeling that the little boy most have felt. Now he is most likely feeling down because he did poorly when he was up at bat. Most out of place people “must escape into fantasy and/or develop a rarefied sense of humor to survive” (130). The usual “boy in 1950s America, baseball was not optional and to be inept assured a place in the social hierarchy even lower than a girl’s” (130). This shows that there was a current stereotype of how little boys should be and he tried to be stereotypical with all of the other little boys.
Spiegelman’s use of the little misfit boy as a dynamic character reflects the theme because he learns to be himself and not try to be something that he isn’t. He realizes that he is out of place when the boys placed him and he “was inevitably relegated to right field, far out of harm’s way” (130). While in the outfield he thought that his boredom took out his “anxiety that a ball might come” (130). He already knew before he went with the boys, that playing baseball with them wasn’t going to go smooth so he “often kept some comic book handy” (130). While he is thinking, he finally realizes that his true comfort is in comics and not sports.
Bill Meissner is an author who enjoys writing stories about baseball that include nothing about baseball. In his stories there are many hidden messages which the reader tries to decipher and figure out the theme. Meissner uses baseball as his main attraction to catch the reader’s eye. Bill ties the character to baseball so he could demonstrate symbolism, which could help discover the theme of the story. In all his stories he establishes a lesson in which the character will uncover throughout the journey. The character in this story acts as a “weak” (42) human being which triumphs at the end by becoming the total opposite. In the story “Midgets, Jujubes, and Beans”, Bill Meissner expresses the theme of how a person should never lose hope on something they love by using a boy named Martin experiencing various challenges and in the end coming out on top.
In his story, "Martin", Nick Vaca, explains how an experience with the new kid on the block left a lasting impression on him. Vaca recounts this memory to convey how his initial perceptions of the new kid caused him and his playmates to act harshly and untowards. Through the use of imagery and symbolism, Vaca details how this experience caused him to realize that he should never judge someone based on their appearance.
2. The novel, The Brothers K, enables the reader to understand a child’s idolization of a given sport, in this case, baseball.
During Graff’s childhood, he was not able to relate to readings that he was given in school. Instead, Graff was interested in baseball. Being that Graff was interested in baseball, he would often find himself reading books and magazines about baseball and baseball pla...
Charles Baxter's short stories are well-known for the strong presents of ordinary people encountering extraordinary strangers who disturb their lives. “Gryphon” written by Charles Baxter is not an exception. The story is filled with characters that are awaken from their boring lives and transported into a world of possibilities. As a central idea of the story, Baxter's critics often mention “middle America's” conventions, and the effect it has on anyone who does not fit the mold. Within “Gryphon” the reader experiences a few days in the life of fourth grade class; specifically, a few days spent with a unique substitute teacher. The narrative outlines, on many occasions, the unsureness in the face of the unknown. Is the society ready to accept someone who deviates from the limits of the norm?
This movie is based on a story of man who has a passion for baseball and love for a woman. It shows the struggle between the two, baseball and Jane. This movie takes place in the 20th century in New York. Most of the movie is a flash back of Billy Chapel, Detroit Tiger's Pitcher, the events of the past five years. It shows his the ups and downs of his life with Jane and Baseball. It shows the importance of love for a person and love for a career.
Towards the end of the film, the boys are trying to get back Small’s stepfather’s baseball, which has been accidentally hit into the monster’s territory. As the other boys are too afraid of getting hurt, Benny decides to do the deed after being encouraged by his idol’s, Babe Ruth’s, spirit. In the end, Benny manages to retrieve the ball and overcome the monster. After everything, they find out that the monster is just a lonely dog named Hercules. Before getting the ball, Benny has doubts about how he can do it, but ultimately decides to do so. This shows that school-age children are willing to take risks and try to overcome challenges. This is important for a child of this age because it builds confidence and character to the child. By trying new things, middle childhood children learn about the world around them and makes them realize what they can and cannot
”Because most people identify as separate from other people, they have what we call some "concept" of themselves. Self-concept refers to how people “think about, evaluate, or perceive” themselves.” Self-concept can be split into categories that make people who they are. Throughout “The Outsiders”, Ponyboy the protagonist, describes his brother and his friends in relation to him, giving insight on what makes each of them who they are. After reading an article on this topic “Self-Concept “by Saul McLeod (1), and reading chapters 1-3 of the novel “The Outsiders” (2). One can see the major reasons that make people who they are: self-image and self-esteem/self-worth.
...Boyarin overcome his fear of being labeled by the society by sticking up to his morals and ethics. This shows that an individual’s fear of being labeled by the society can depend on the situations they face which shape their strategies of personal identity.
Throughout life individuals face many challenges testing their values and personality one situation at a time. In the evocative novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton themes of growing up and innocence are shown. Ponyboy is not your average 14 year old he is part of a gang known to many as the Greasers. He encounters many situations testing his values and beliefs. Having lost both his parents recently he and his brothers stick together like a true family but this relationship is tested when Darry hits Ponyboy. He also experiences the loss several close friends in a very short period of time. Throughout this novel, Ponyboy encounters many life changing experiences that prove he is a dynamic character.
When pondering about what an individual thinks of you, people have varying views. Some people are not concerned; to others it is the most critical matter on their mind. The feeling of being judged is a very potent emotion. Likewise, conformity is one of the largest controversies in today’s society; the behavior of someone in accordance with socially accepted conventions or standards. So if someone personally made his or her expectations on what you should be like evident, would you change? In Matthew Quick’s The Silver Linings Playbook, he illustrates that judgment and expectations conform a person into someone they are not due to their personal identity. This can be seen through a character’s loyalty to another, dominance and the vulnerability it includes, and a character’s love and devotion. Conformity and the reasons for its appearance will be analyzed through samples from Matthew Quick’s bestselling novel.
Knowles deliberately juxtaposes Gene’s social awkwardness to Finny’s natural athleticism and charisma to suggest an imbalance of power between the two boys. Set in Devon School, described as “very athletic” (Knowles 13), Finny, “an extraordinary athlete…the best athlete in the school,” (16) establishes himself to be popular, tilting the balance of power. Stating there is no one “in this school – in this world – whom [he] could trust” (53), Knowles introduces Gene as a distrustful individual. Gene’s hesitant nature lets the animated Finny take charge of their relationship. To create power imbalance, the author purposefully creates Gene and Finny with wildly different personalities.
The Sandlot is a classic sports film that shows how the role of friendship plays in children’s development. The story takes place in a small suburb outside of Los Angeles in the summer of 1962. The main character “Smalls”, just moved to the town with his mom and step dad. He doesn’t really know how to make friends but started watching a group of boys that walked to the ‘sandlot’. Smalls has always stuck to science projects, so baseball is a new subject to him. The step dad has a love of baseball so when Smalls goes into his office he has trophies and a baseball signed by Babe Ruth. Smalls wants to be able to connect with his step dad, so he tries to learn how to play baseball with the guys.
He explains that boys hide their feelings they may seem normal on the outside but on the inside they are hiding something. When they are asked if anything is wrong they say no everything is just fine. This is because ever since the boy was a child he has been taught not to express his emotions. Little boys are made to feel ashamed of their feelings. Also society places an emphasis on boys separating from their mother at an unnecessarily young age. Often the result of all this is that the boys decide to be silent. They learn to suffer quietly and retreat behind the mask. This is why the boys do not express their feelings, because they are told not to. What tells them not to is the boy code. It says the men should be stoic, stable, and independent. Boys are not to share their pain or grief openly. Also this code says the boys should be daring and do risky behaviors. The most traumatizing code is the fact that boys should not express feelings which might be mistakenly as “feminine” –dependence, warmth, and empathy. This causes boys to never act this way and hide these feelings. These are the reasons the “mask” is formed over the boy.
Throughout the story, the boy went through a variety of changes that will pose as different themes of the story including alienation, transformation, and the meaning of religion. The themes of this story are important to show the growth of the young boy into a man. Without alienation, he wouldn't have understand the complexity of his feelings and learned to accept faults. With transformation, he would have continued his boyish games and wouldn't be able to grow as a person and adolescence. And finally, without understanding the religious aspects of his life, he would go on pretending he is somebody that he's not. He wouldn't understand that there is inconsistency between the real and ideal life (Brooks et al.).