As you grow older, you can't always rely on others to make decisions for you. You must learn to m...

1. Element #2: Figurative Language (Metaphor)

1.1. “It was like being alone, high up on a precipice where the footing was slippery with moss.”

1.1.1. This metaphor is important because it means that Jimmy has to take decisions by himself and he has to take them with caution because he doesn’t want to make the wrong choice. “The footing was slippery with moss” essentially means that that is where he has to make the decisions. He doesn’t want to take the wrong step(decision)on the slippery moss. The words “it was like being alone” suggests that there is no one that Jimmy can rely or depend on to make his choices for him.

1.1.1.1. Step 3: This metaphor is important because it means that Jimmy has to take decisions by himself and he has to take them with caution because he doesn’t want to make the wrong choice. “The footing was slippery with moss” essentially means that that is where he has to make the decisions. He doesn’t want to take the wrong step(decision)on the slippery moss. The words “it was being alone” suggests that there is no one that Jimmy can rely or depend on to make his decisions for him.

2. Element #1: Character (Mrs.Swanson)

2.1. “ ‘I was wrong,’ she said steadily. ‘This time I was wrong. You were right. He’s a nice boy, I think’ “

2.1.1. This quotation is important because it shows that even the people you rely on the most can be wrong. When Mrs.Swanson said “This time I was wrong. You were right. He’s a nice boy, I think” suggests that she had a wrong assumption about Jimmy’s friend Paul. Also, in the 1st sentence of the quotation, the word “steadily” is there. This refers to her admitting she was wrong with a steady voice which means that she wasn’t furious about her incorrect assumption, but was calmly accepting the fact that she was wrong. That’s when fear and discomfort filled Jimmy’s heart because now he knew he’d have to make some decisions on his own.

2.1.1.1. Step 3: This quotation is important because it shows that even the people you rely on the most can be wrong. When Mrs.Swanson said “This time I was wrong. You were right. He’s a nice boy, I think” suggests that she had a wrong assumption about Jimmy’s friend Paul. Also, in the 1st sentence of the quotation, the word “steadily” is there. This refers to her admitting she was wrong with a steady voice which means that she wasn’t furious about her incorrect assumption, but was calmly accepting the fact that she was wrong. That’s when fear and discomfort filled Jimmy’s heart because now he knew he’d have to make some decisions on his own.

3. Element #3: Conflict (Person vs Self)

3.1. “ ‘Your-your mother doesn’t care if you go, huh?’ he said. Jimmy swallowed. Paul needed this so badly. So very badly. Paul had no mother at all. And his father just didn’t like looking at the world without Paul's mother, and was always drunk.”

3.1.1. This quotation is significant because it shows Jimmy's care towards Paul by deciding himself that he's going to bring him to supper. The last sentence of the quotation is incomplete, emphasizing Jimmy's care for Paul and his family. Jimmy decides himself that he wants to be with his friend Paul because he knew that Paul needed someone and wanted to prove to his mother that Paul wasn't a bad kid. This was his 1st decision he took himself.