The Scholarship Jacket - Setting, Characterization, Conflict

The setting takes place in a small Texas school. "The small Texas school that I went to..." Martha lives on a farm in a small village with her grandparents. "The dirt road was a quarter mile from the highway..." "...walking between the rows...bent over the little plants, hoe in hand...cool breeze blowing and a sweet smell of mesquite fruit in the air..."

The story is told by Martha, who is also the main character. We know her thoughts and feelings. We can tell what she is thinking by her actions and thoughts and dialogue. It is easy to see that Martha is a sweet girl who doesn't have any pride. She just wants the jacket because she had worked for it and had expected to receive it. "I wanted that jacket so much. It was more than just being a valedictorian...It represented eight years of hard work and expectation."

The first part of the conflict is when Martha hears her teachers talking about who they should give the scholarship jacket to. One of her teachers thinks that it should be given to her, since she did deserve it, but the other thinks that she shouldn't get it because she was Mexican and they wanted someone else to be able to receive the jacket. "They seemed to be arguing about me. I couldn't believe it. I still remember the feeling of shock..." Another part of the conflict is when the principal calls her into his office and says that the rule has changed... she would have to pay for the jacket this year. Martha knew that she wouldn't be able to afford it and really doubted that her Grandpa would pay for it.