George has a fixed mindset- a mindset according to which a person's basic abilities, intelligence and talents are just fixed traits that cannot be changed. This mindset makes a person's goal not to become smart, but to appear smart - something that can often prevent important skill development and growth, which could hinder one's actual potential to succeeding in life.
Ever since George had quit high school, he had felt inadequate; that he wouldn't become smarter. He desires to be respected- something that he himself had admitted, and the combination of this fixed mindset of his and his want to be respected make George lie in order to impress the people around him.
An example of George's fixed mindset is that he gives up easily and tends to avoid challenges - such as school. He had thought of going back to school, but, knowing that it would be a challenge, he gave up on it before he even tried, …show more content…
His feelings of inadequacy led him to be extremely sensitive to others' opinions of him, and in order to gain the respect of his surroundings, he had lied about reading books in his spare time to Sophie and Mr.Cattanzara, even going so far as to say he's reading a hundred books.
Sophie, however, has a growth mindset. She worked hard to earn her money at a cafeteria in Bronx, a long ride on the subway each morning. Her choice of working far away from home represents the way she's trying to better her family's situation and thinks that her efforts and persistence in the face of setbacks (such as being from an immigrant family) would lead her to a better life.
Also, the fact that she reads whatever falls into her hands and that she sometimes read good books, which reveals that she has a desire to learn and obtain knowledge (as do people with the growth mindset), which is the difference between her and
Ever since George had quit high school, he had felt inadequate; that he wouldn't become smarter. He desires to be respected- something that he himself had admitted, and the combination of this fixed mindset of his and his want to be respected make George lie in order to impress the people around him.
An example of George's fixed mindset is that he gives up easily and tends to avoid challenges - such as school. He had thought of going back to school, but, knowing that it would be a challenge, he gave up on it before he even tried, …show more content…
His feelings of inadequacy led him to be extremely sensitive to others' opinions of him, and in order to gain the respect of his surroundings, he had lied about reading books in his spare time to Sophie and Mr.Cattanzara, even going so far as to say he's reading a hundred books.
Sophie, however, has a growth mindset. She worked hard to earn her money at a cafeteria in Bronx, a long ride on the subway each morning. Her choice of working far away from home represents the way she's trying to better her family's situation and thinks that her efforts and persistence in the face of setbacks (such as being from an immigrant family) would lead her to a better life.
Also, the fact that she reads whatever falls into her hands and that she sometimes read good books, which reveals that she has a desire to learn and obtain knowledge (as do people with the growth mindset), which is the difference between her and