The short story, The Lesson, left me with thoughts that I find a little hard to describe. The main lesson being taught to the children by Miss Moore seems to be clearly about their socio-economic standing and the disparity between them and the people who may shop in the store. However, there seems to be a lesson more directly targeted towards Sylvia. It’s implied towards the end when Miss Moore says, “Anybody else learn anything today?” She asked that while staring at Sylvia, clearly directing the question at her. It may just be my personal bias, however, Sylvia’s attitude throughout the story possessed an air of entitlement. She would speak ill of others and seemed to think of herself as better than others in certain aspects. She also seemed to lord over her companions. There were also mentions of both anger and shame when upon experiencing the toy store, its atmosphere, and its prices. In the end, Miss Moore’s targeted question was the metaphorical final nail in the coffin that both sparked Sylvia’s competitiveness and humbled her. It made her stop and think about the day and what she experienced. It made her want to be better. That’s what I think I’d try to write about in an essay about this short story. An essay titled “A Lesson on Humility” about Sylvia’s shift and the lesson that was meant for her specifically.
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3 thoughts on “Alan Adames – Discussion 4”
Alan, yes, an essay focused specifically on Sylvia would work. She is a very complex character, full of contradictions.
I didn’t think much about Sylvia’s entitlement but the way you connected Miss Moore’s final question to Sylvia’s sense of entitlement put a different perspective on the story. The way she acted toward people who were supposed to be her friends reminded me of a typical mean girl character who kept her friends from disagreeing with her by making them afraid of whatever she might do. A perfect example was when she stepped on Sugar’s foot (twice) to try and quiet her and she got pushed off.
Hi Alan. You make an interesting point about Sylvia’s attitude and how the story may have a lesson aimed directly at her. While Miss Moore focuses on teaching the kids about socio-economic inequality, I hadn’t thought as much about Sylvia’s sense of entitlement. I do agree that Miss Moore’s question at the end makes Sylvia stop and think, but I’m not sure if it humbles her completely. She seems competitive and angry, but maybe that drive could push her to change later. Your essay idea on Sylvia’s shift and learning humility is a unique take that could really dive deeper into her character development.