Martha Character Development in The Scholarship Jacket Essay Sample

If you were getting something you earned taken from you, what should you do? That's exactly what the main character, Martha, was thinking in the short story "The Scholarship Jacket." Through the use of character development, Marta Salinas reveals the theme that sometimes the right thing to do is the hardest thing to do.

At first, we can hear that the staff are having an argument about who to give the jacket to. At the beginning of the story, when Martha eavesdrops on them, Mr. Schmidt says, "I refuse to do it! I don't care who her father is, her grades don't even begin to compare to Martha's. I won't lie or falsify records. Martha has a straight A plus average and you know it." This shows that Mr Schmidt wants to do the right thing and let Martha get her jacket but is struggling to do so. It also reveals that Mr. Schmidt is willing to stand up for himself or another person despite a person's status. In this instance we can see that Martha is sorrowful after hearing about how she has a low chance of receiving the jacket.

As the story progresses, the principal is also having a hard time deciding on who the jacket should go to. In the middle of the story, Martha is called into the principal's office to talk about the scholarship jacket thinking "He looked uncomfortable and unhappy." This shows that the principal wants to do the right thing as well, but his unease of the board is preventing him from doing so, just like Mr. Schmidt. It also slightly suggests the power of the board, as even the principal is having some sort of fear of it. This leaves Martha feeling shocked and dismayed.

However, Martha is again dragged to the principal's office for her decision. Nearing the end, Martha stands up for herself which causes the principal to say "Okay, damn it. We'll make an exception in your case. I'll tell the Board, you'll get your jacket." This marks her finally standing up for herself and shows that doing the right thing is hard, but it pays off. It also reveals that her grandfather is very wise, without his help, she probably wouldn’t have stood up for herself. In this instance, Martha goes back home feeling moved, telling her grandfather, ending with a pat and smile.

As a result the author helps suggest that the right thing may be the hardest to do, and we can identify this in many moments of the story. The author makes this very clear when the staff are arguing about who should get the jacket, the principal having a difficult time deciding who gets the jacket, and when Martha is called back to the principal's office for her final decision. The school staff and principal are having a hard time doing the right thing, deciding who to give the scholarship jacket to. Because we can see that people will occasionally have hard times doing the right thing, then it must be true that difficulty should come with a greater reward. If it is true that the right thing is sometimes the hardest thing to do, then you should try your best as it will provide the best benefit all around you.