Thirteen And A Half Analysis

Words: 410
Pages: 2

Literary Analysis Essay What could go wrong if you just tell a little lie? Gary Soto’s Seventh Grade and Rachel Vail’s Thirteen And A Half share the theme of just tell the truth. Even though they have a common theme, both stories reach theme in different ways. Notably, both stories share the theme of just the the truth. Victor the main character of Seventh Grade realizes his crush, Teresa, is taking French so in an attempt to impress her he takes French too. For example, on page 120 of Seventh Grade the author writes, “He tried to bluff his way out by making noises that sounded French.” Victor thought this would impress Teresa, it did, but Victor does not know any French and she asks him to help her with the work, causing his plan to backfire. In the other story Thirteen and A Half, Ashley’s (the main character) bird died. Ashley thought it was the bird she had picked out when she was three with her grandparents. Ashley’s mother kept buying new birds to hide that the other ones had died. The last bird passed away so Ashley’s mother finally came …show more content…
Victor from Seventh Grade lies to impress his love interest, Teresa. By way of example, on page 120 Soto states, “Victor raised his hand, wanting to impress Teresa.” Instead of just keeping quiet and learning French like he was supposed to or to use to impress Teresa, he makes a fool out of himself. In Thirteen And A Half, Ashley’s mother lied to keep her happy. Such as, on page four, the author reveals, “...but the darn bird died a few weeks after we got him...I didn’t want to start explaining death to a three year old… .” Since she did not want to hurt Ashley, she just went out and kept buying birds. In conclusion, both stories have a moral that has a powerful message. They both share the theme of just tell the truth. While Ashley’s mother lies to Teresa, Victor lies to impress Teresa. These stories are different because the characters lie for different