Everyone experiences love at some point in their lives, and there’s nothing we can do to control it. Seventh Grade by Gary Soto is a short story about a boy trying to impress his crush. This boy’s name is Victor, and he has a crush on a girl named Teresa. The story starts with him receiving his school materials, and thinking about the fact that he had picked French for one of his classes. Victor gave off many reasons, such as French being cool, and that he wanted to go to France one day, and also because his crush Teresa was also going to be there. Before class, he meets his friend Micheal who told him scowling is attractive to girls. In Homeroom, Victor wanted to talk to Teresa but lost his chance because she was talking to a teacher. In English class, when Victor was asked to give the name of a person, he instinctively said ‘Teresa’ which made many people laugh. In French class, the teacher asked who knew how to speak French, and Victor raised his hand, and the teacher asked him to say a couple of words. He was unable to, and the teacher realized he didn’t actually speak French. At the end of the day, Teresa asks him to teach her French because she thought his French was good, and the teacher was there but didn’t say anything, so Victor agreed and later went to borrow some French books.
Lies are told for many reasons, and Victor lies because he wants to impress Teresa. Although it is not good to lie, sometimes good things come out of it. Victor lied about knowing how to speak French, which he made obvious when the teacher asked him a question in French and he was unable to answer it. Victor lied because he wanted to impress Teresa, and although he did, his plan was very risky. When we claim to know something that we actually don’t, there might be many consequences, such as being called out for lying, or being asked to demonstrate this knowledge. Victor lied to Teresa, and told her he would help with her French, when he doesn’t even know French, which is why he was borrowing those French books at the end. This leads us to wonder; what would have happened if he didn’t lie? The negative outcome of this would be that Teresa doesn’t notice him or asks him to tutor her, and the positive outcome would be that Teresa likes him for being honest, and they could study together at the same pace. In my opinion, Victor shouldn’t have lied, because he could’ve just asked Teresa to study with him, and he wouldn’t have to pretend that he is skilled in something he is actually not. Even though Victor has not experienced any consequences yet, it might happen any day during the school year.
When we love someone, we will do anything to gain their attention. Victor missed many chances to talk to Teresa, and was embarrassed multiple times, but eventually gained her attention in a good way. The first chance Victor missed was in Homeroom, when Teresa greeted him, he replied with a foolish answer that just made him seem weird. The second chance Victor missed was during lunchtime, and he saw Teresa sitting under a plum tree with her friend, and although he could have gone by to have a conversation with her, he instead just stood where he originally was and all he did was wave to her. The first time Victor embarrassed himself in front of Teresa was when he said Teresa's name when asked for a person's name. Many people in the class knew he had a crush on Teresa, so he was very embarrassed. The second time Victor embarrassed himself in front of Teresa was during French, and although she didn't realize it, he was speaking gibberish the whole time and even the teacher knew that he didn't speak French. Although these many failed attempts have shown that Victor is very much in love with Teresa, in the end, he got her attention, and they will probably be seeing more of each other from now on, so it all ended up well. Although that was the end of the story, we might still ask ourselves if he still has a crush on her by the end of seventh grade.
Many times, we will want to cooperate with someone for our own benefits or for everyone's. We could say that Victor has a kind of liaison with Mr. Bueller. Liaison means either a bond or a good communication with someone. In the story, they basically communicated with their facial expressions. At the end, when Teresa was complimenting Victor on his French, Mr. Bueller was also there, and he knew that Victor's French was terrible, but he said nothing and just looked at Victor, who looked back at him pleadingly, as if asking him to not speak up. This teacher is kind, and he remembers when he was in a situation similar to that, and decided not to say anything, because clearly, Victor wants to impress Teresa, and Mr. Bueller knows how that feels like. This is liaison because they are communicating without actually having to speak with each other, and although Mr. Bueller could have completely embarrassed Victor by telling the truth, he didn't because he is a good person. This does not mean we should lie just for the benefit of a friend, but sometimes, not saying something can actually help others around us improve their relationships with someone else. Mr. Bueller has a good communication with his student, which proves that he is a good teacher.
In conclusion, Seventh Grade by Gary Soto talks about a boy wanting to impress his crush, and makes several failed attempts to do so, but finally succeeds. This story teaches us to never give up, because if Victor had given up when he had already failed twice, then he would never have spoken up in French class, and gotten Teresa's attention. This book also teaches us that we might have to make some sacrifices for what we want, such as when Victor gave up his self-respect to say all of those hilarious yet embarrassing things, but eventually got Teresa to talk to him, and maybe if he still loves her later on, they will develop a much better relationship or friendship. This might have been entirely because he kept trying throughout the day to accomplish what he wanted. Victor also had to sacrifice his free time, because from now on, he would have to spend all day learning French so that he would have something to teach Teresa. This story also teaches us to be kinder to people around us, like how Mr. Bueller did not purposefully lose Victor his chance of talking to Teresa and finally accomplishing his goal. This story is realistic fiction, which means it could happen any day in real life, so it doesn't matter if we happen to be Victor, Teresa, or Mr. Bueller in this situation, we should still make sure we don’t have any regrets in the future.
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