orihuela wino essay

The Kool-Aid Wino
An Essay by Mayra A. Orihuela

I believe that the boy in the story is a positive character, because he is honest, polite, oriented, organized, conservative, and although he does have some bad qualities to his character, he is like any other boy.

He is honest because he admits that he never took off his clothes when he went to bed. Some may see him as dirty for this action, but you don't know if he doesn't have anything else to wear since he is poor, or if he changed the night before. My little sisters change into their school clothes the night before so they won't have to wake up earlier to go to school. I figure, if it doesn't bother the person sleeping with his or her clothes on, what is it of anyone else's business.

The boy in the story is polite because when he went into the store to buy the Kool-Aid, he addressed the grocer with a "Hello". Some people when they walk into a store they just say what they want, pay, and leave, without communicating anything with the clerk.

He is oriented because he knew the way home running across a field, even though it was covered with heavy yellow grass. I personally, if everything looks the same around me, I would probable get lost, especially if I'm running.

The boy is organized because he knows exactly what to do with his Kool-Aid, he has a pattern that goes to it, and he strictly sticks with it. I don't think that 's weird at 0 because almost everyone has a certain way to do certain things. Like cooking, for instance. A person might organize all the ingredients then follow the recipe step to step, clean up and wash the dishes, then when all the food is set up, sit down and eat. A person might also have a certain way of studying. First, he or she may clean the room, then set all the papers, books, and pens in an orderly fashion, advise everyone that he or she does not want to be disturbed, then sit down and study. So the boy's ceremony with his Kool- Aid is not unusual at all. The way the narrator was describing the boy with his Kool-Aid ceremony, may make him seem unusual, like by the boy being like a brain surgeon, but that's the way the narrator saw him. I can describe anyone doing a simple thing and make a big fuss about it, just because I may be extending my perception doesn't mean that that person sees him or herself that way or he or she is actually doing that specific thing the way I'm stating it.

The boy is conservative because when he makes the Kool-Aid, he makes the most out of it. He doesn't want to loose any of the flavor, so he doesn't put any sugar in it. Besides it states in the story that there wasn't any sugar to put in it, and he adds more water to make more Kool-Aid. He's like any child, trying to get more out of every little thing. Like when my aunt had a garage sale, my cousin wanted to sell his toys for $3.00 each when they were only worth about $0.50. Or like people who grew up in the depression, most are more conservative, some don't throw away anything because you never know when you might need it, such as old blinds that don't work and are broken.

Even though some of the thing that he does may make seem selfish, I believe that he is like any other boy. When he asked for the nickel, well maybe he owed it to him, besides, the other boy had promised and you are not supposed to break promises. When he told his mother, that he'll do the dishes soon, and then said that the dishes could wait, it may seem that he doesn't have respect for her, but what child has not disobeyed his mother when she tells them to come inside, or take a shower, or clean their room? When he goes into the chicken house and it was littered with half-rotten comic books, it may seem that he is dirty, but in a child's special place, when is it always clean? It may seem that he is greedy with the chores around the house, like when he went into the kitchen, and stepped around wet diapers, but you don't know it it's his responsibility to change them, he may not know how. Or when the Kool-Aid is done, some may argue that he is greedy because he is not going to share, but it does not say that he isn't. It may also seem that he is not working to be selfish, but in the beginning of the story it states that he can not work because of his rupture.

The Kool-Aid wino seems to be a positive character, because his honest, polite, oriented, organized, conservative. Although he has some bad qualities to him, you have to give him room to keep his imagination alive and get a sense of self-worth, and you have take into consideration the importance of individuality. The boy in "The Kool-Aid Wino" is just like any other boy, a normal kid.