Lupe in The Marble Champ by Gary Soto Literary Analysis Essay Sample

“If you want something you’ve never had, then you’ve got to do something you’ve never done.” -Unknown. In the phenomenal short story “The Marble Champ'' by Gary Soto, Lupe the leading character is hardworking and determined. She is a “School’s Spelling Bee Champion'', “Blue Ribbon Awardee in the science fair”, Playground Grand Champion in Chess”, “Straight-A Student,” etc. Lupe however is horrifyingly bad at sports, and challenges herself to practice for the marbles competition in 2 weeks. I see that she is hardworking and determined when she does this because she is persistent, she is patient, and she never gives up.

Without a doubt, I believe Lupe is very hardworking and determined because she is persistent. She dropped everything such as homework and even eating unless she absolutely had to for energy. She practiced 3 hours straight and tried everything she could to make her thumb stronger. Even when her thumb was swollen, she took it as something to be proud about and continued to practice. Lupe practiced and practiced and beat her brother, who she listened to for tips as she was very dedicated to this sport. Lupe continued doing this, and she proved that she is persistent, making her hardworking and determined.

Secondly, Lupe is very hardworking and determined because she is patient. Lupe had only 2 weeks to practice for the marble competition and realized she has a lot to do. Lupe practiced by doing billions of push-ups on her fingertips, squeezing an eraser a million times, etc. She practiced so much she even beat her neighbor Alfonso, who is supposedly very good at marbles: “Man, she’s bad!” Alfonso said. “She can beat the other girls for sure. I think.” So although Lupe had only 2 weeks to practice, she was patient with herself and never gave up. She is really hardworking and determined!

Lastly, Lupe is very hardworking and determined because she never gives up. Lupe worked day and night so she could be ready for the marbles competition. She kept on trying and trying, even when she had homework or was busy. She exercised her thumb by doing push-ups, played marbles and took advice from her brother. She was confident in this, and never gave up. She worked so hard she made it to the championships. She was worried due to her intimidating opponent. She knew that it would be hard and there was a chance of loss, but after all she did she knew she had to go for it. Because of her never giving up, she became more confident and won. This is why I think she is hardworking and determined.

To put it concisely, Lupe is very persevering and is very serious about what she does. She is always trying despite knowing that she could lose. This shows she is persistent, she is patient, and she never gives up. After all that hard work, Lupe won and I believe it shows that working hard will help you succeed in life.