The Scholarship Jacket By Marta Salinas

In “The Scholarship Jacket” by Marta Salinas, Marta, the protagonist, comes of age when she fights for the scholarship jacket that she rightly deserves; Marta comes of age by learning to be mature, learning to listen and act on her grandfather’s words, and learning to speak out. Marta must rise above discrimination to accomplish her dream of winning the jacket. With the help of her grandfather’s wise words, Marta finds her voice to speak out. Marta comes of age when she learns to be mature, when she faces the principal about paying for the jacket. When the principal tells Marta that a fee was added to the jacket, she looked straight into the principal’s eyes to make the conversation harder for him (24). Knowing the topic of the conversation, Marta did not show her emotions. The fourteen year old girl knew that the principal discriminated against her, hence she called him out. Marta shows maturity through showing a composed attitude. The main character seemed ardent for the award she longed for. Standing with all her dignity, [she] told the principal she will speak to her grandfather about the issue (24). Marta appeared to be …show more content…
In the beginning, Marta views the jacket as an academic trophy. When Marta went home to ask for the money to pay for the jacket, she realized that the jacket meant more than the title of a valedictorian and entails more than giving a speech at graduation. The jacket proves that Marta worked hard for eight years in school (24). After Marta asked her grandfather for the money to pay for the jacket she understood why her grandfather sill not pay. To Marta’s grandfather, money does not matter (25). The scholarship jacket would not be a scholarship with a fee attached. She wanted to achieve something without money. Therefore, Marta comes of age when her grandfather helps her learn the meaning of the scholarship