What Is The Theme Of The Pie By Gary Soto

In the short story Mr. Soto exclaims when he was younger he pushed a lawn mower, door to door trying to find someone who would pay him to cut their grass. At the time he did not know that his area was in the lower-class bracket, “It struck me like a ball. They were poor, but I didn’t even recognize them. I left the projects and tried houses with a little luck, and began to wonder if they too housed the poor” (101). This is significant because later he speaks about how he was so oblivious to how he grew up. Later in this childhood story he stated that he wanted to become a hobo since he thought there was no jobs for him in the world since he did not want to work like his father. He exclaimed that his dad would come home with blistery hands, sit down their living room chair and stare at the television for the rest of the night. At the end of this story he starts talking about how he became who he is now, and why he fell into his career. “It’s been twenty years since I went door to door. Now I am living this other life that seems a dream. How did I get here? What line on my palm arched in a small fortune? I sit before students, before grade books, before other professors talking about books they’ve yet to write, so surprised that I’m far from that man on the sidewalk” (101). This quote from “To Be A Man,” is a very smart and somewhat humorous line, because Mr. Soto realizes that he could have easily been a hobo on that

“[I] walked to the door, grinning to the bald grocer whose forehead shone with a window of light...Tears blurred my eyes as I remembered the grocer’s forehead” (Soto 1-2). This repetition expresses that Soto is having trouble forgetting the person he affected with the crime, implying that he is generally an innocent boy that is suffering from a deeply guilty conscience. Repetition can again be seen as Soto continually glances at the pie tin after he had scarfed it down. “The pie tin glared at me and rolled away...I looked and saw the glare of the pie tin” (Soto 2). The pie tin, now serving as a physical symbol of his sin, constantly reminds the author that he did something morally wrong and permanent; the fact that Soto mentions seeing the empty pie tin more than once emphasizes just how much guilt the young boy is now feeling. These moments of repetition ultimately reveal Soto’s extremely paranoid mind that is filled with regret from stealing.

In his autobiographical narrative A Summer Life, Gary Soto vividly recreates the guilt felt by a six- year-old boy who steals an apple pie. Through Soto’s reminiscent he has taken us on a journey of his guilt, paranoia, and redemption through the usage of tone, allusions, and imagery.

This story also paints the picture of a father who would not give up on regaining his time with his son. It shows the father desperately trying to rectify the mistrust issues he created because he stated to the boy when they were sitting in the diner after the highway patrol redirected them away from the snow-covered route home that she would never forgive him if he did not get the boy home for

The first Moore, the author, began his deviance in school through failing to do his assignments and performing extremely poorly in class. The second Moore, the prisoner, began through the use of a knife to solve conflicts as a child. Another case of defiance in the two children is evident when the first Moore, the author, started vandalizing public property. On the other hand, the other Moore was busy helping drug peddlers in supplying narcotics in the neighborhood. The mother of the first Moore became concerned of his son’s behavior and enrolled him to a prison school, where he would later become a leader of several cadets. It was while at this school that he gave his deviant behavior after several attempts to escape failed. The discipline levels in the school were extremely high, resulting in the young Moore changing his behavior for the better (Moore, 2011).

Throughout the autobiographical narrative written by Gary Soto, many different literary elements are used to recreate the experience of his guilty six-year old self. Different elements such as contrast, repetition, pacing, diction, and imagery. Soto narrates this story as a young boy at a time when he seems to be young and foolish, Soto foolmaking mistakes, but at the same time hoping to learn from them. Soto uses each of these devices to convey different occurrences in the narrative.

Gary Soto’s body language sets the stage for symbolism on his aim on stealing pie from the grocer’s store. “...the juice of guilt wetting my underarms” (Soto 13). The juice of guilt symbolizes his religious knowledge, since he is acknowledged

Growing up Soto’s life at home wasn’t ideal and he never had high hopes for it. Soto’s family was Mexican American so he was born into a Chicano culture. Every one of their jobs, even his as a child, was some type of physical labor, “and he worked in the fields as an agricultural laborer and as a low-paid

Soto’s writings in this passage construct a tone which gives a feeling of concern, due to his family and also his friend Scott to disapprove of a relationship only because of social class and race. The tone portrayed can be perceived when he has discussions with his family about who is the right woman to marry

Soto talks about sacrifice, and we all go through that. What we do to please other people. The boy had to give up his orange because he didn't have enough money. He told his girlfriend that she can chose any kind of candy found in the isle, and she chose a chocolate bar that cost a dime, now the boy only had a nickel and a pair of oranges in his pocket. Instead of feeling embarrassed and cheep in front of his new girl, the boy decided to put up the nickel and an orange on the counter for the saleslady.

One major trademark of Gary Soto’s works is his use of the importance of family in his stories. Readers can feel and understand his passion and appreciation for family. Often, Gary uses family to tell stories about his upbringing and as a sense of pride in his stories. In A Summer Life, he says, “My brother showed me his palm, where a sliver had gone in quick as a stitch on a sewing machine when he climbed the rabbit hutch at the Molinas’ house” (Soto 14). This quote is an example of his close relationship to his family and his adventurous upbringing in Fresno, California. Later in A Summer Life, Soto says, “My face was hot, my hair sweaty, but nothing scary seemed to happen” (Soto 20). This quote once again shows that Soto had a very adventurous upbringing, and he enjoyed being able to go out and explore for himself at a young age. Soto’s family life has always been important to him, but his family life has also suffered heartbreak and adversity. According

Similarly, the young unnamed soldier holds himself solely accountable for the death of his cherished friend. This boy exhausts himself as he tries to handle the loss by recounting his last memories of Kiowa over and over, frantically searching for the laminated picture of his girlfriend, all the while moving his lips. “Like Jimmy Cross, the boy was explaining to an absent judge. It wasn’t to defend himself. The boy recognized his own guilt and wanted only to lay out

From the beginning of the poem, Soto depicts himself as a ten year old who wanted attention. He also depicts the era by which the setting of the poem is written. He states, “At ten I wanted fame”, the word “fame” standing for his intense need for attention (1). In the next line he said, “I had a comb / And two Coke bottles, a tube of Bryl-cream” (1-2). By this he meant, he had thick glasses and slicked back hair, and for that era, thick glasses were for nerds, and the slicked back hair was the fashion in the 1950’s. In addition, a slang word in the 1950’s was “Daddy-O”, who by which Soto refers to a priest (17). He states, ‘“No way / Daddy-O’ to an imaginary priest” (16-17). Since Soto uses the word priest, and not pastor or reverend, this indicates the person for whom he imagined calling “Daddy-O” was a Catholic male (17). Soto uses the word “Chale” toward the imaginary priest, which

The poem begins explaining to the reader the story of a Mexican American as he worked in an industrial factory at some point in his life. “In the factory I worked, in the fleck of rubber, under a press of an oven yellow with flame.” (Lines 1-3) Soto uses visual imagery to describe the color of

Through the use of inconsistent and inappropriate rewards and punishments, Mizz Pickett introduces in Antwone’s life a lack of hope and nothingness. A vivid event, though quite tame in comparison to the abuse, is one in which the Pickett foster children go trick or treating. Upon returning with joy every child has during trick or treating, Mizz Pickett demands of them all the candy they received placed in the box. “Then, wiping her hands together first, Mizz Pickett slams the lid shut on the metal box and slaps on a Master lock. “Now,” she says…Here it hits me-she ain’t gonna let us have none. “I’ve give ya some uh dis here candy when you deserve some…and not until” (Fisher, p. 54). It goes without saying; there never came a situation where Mizz Pickett felt the children ‘deserved’ any of the candy. For Antwone, occurrences such as this would compromise his sense of initiative over guilt creating fundamental inadequacy; a mark which would have detrimental effects later in his life.