1 2, 3 By Gary Soto Analysis

In Gary Soto’s story, “1, 2, 3,” he recounts an even dealing with prejudice that has a significant impact on the characters. The altercation occurs when a little girl falls off of a swing and her father accuses a young Mexican girl of pushing her. *[By making connections to the characters’ values in their speech and actions and repeating certain words or phrases to emphasize a point, Gary Soto explains that the way one should respond to prejudice is not by assuming the worst of people and fighting them; instead, one should try to help others, understand their point of view and values in order to prevent the negative effects of prejudice.]* *[One’s values and assumptions play a role in how that person responds to prejudice and can have an impact on how he or she views certain people.]* In Soto’s story, he explains how in a mostly Mexican neighborhood, where a girl lives, the families are very protective of each other. When the strange man shoved the character Rosie and insulted her ,her brothers “flew up like chickens against those who got them mad” (2). By saying the boys “flew up like chickens,: the author implies that the brothers would do anything to protect someone in their family, especially if there is prejudice against that person. The brothers and people who live in that neighborhood in general have strong family values, like the strange man in Soto’s story, they act out by fighting with what they can. The strange man also acts out for the protection of