The Follower By Jack Gantos Analysis

Being a bad influence is a lot like being a daisy in a sunflower field. In order to get what they want, they both spread everywhere. Spreading the bad idea and seed throughout. Throughout time peers and ourselves have influenced us to want money or just to seem cool.

The story “The Follower” by Jack Gantos the nameless narrator’s identity is influenced by the reckless neighbors Scary Gary and his brother Frankie Pagoda to seem cool. Seeing Frankie fly across his yard the narrator says “ I was different from Frankie but still, the first moment I saw him in pain, it occurred to me that I wanted to be in pain, too. After his mom argued with to never play with Frankie or Scary Gary. He replies with “ why I asked. He’s a neighbor that will probably

be a friend”. His mom then calls him follower, not a leader but the narrator denies it even though he knows he is. The narrator starts as a bored normal kid, but when he sees Frankie fly through the air he wants to be like him. The narrator wants to change his identity because of the excitement he thinks he will get. He wants to be like Frankie so much he defends Frankie against his mother so he can be friends with Frankie. Even though the narrator knows he is follower he denies it from his mom. This one way identities are created by others but their are several different ways.

The article “Stanley Williams” by th commonlit staff Stanley gets in fights and gangs to get money and power. Adults would organize kids to fight “William participated in these fights regularly; the adults would bet on him and give him a part of the winnings”. Williams purposely got into street fights to get money. With winning these fights it is also giving Stanley power and more credibility. As Stanley grows up “By the time William was a teenager, he had developed a reputation as a vicious street fighter”. With this credibility Stanley is able to get respect and power in those parts. Maybe also a lot of money with winning a lot of street fights. Changing your identity is one way to get money to deal with your environment.

We create our own identities in order to get money or to seem cool. We do this to deal with our environment to fit in. In the follower the narrator changes his identity to seem cool with Scary Gary and Frankie. Also with Stanley Williams, Stanley changes his identity to get money and power in the neighborhood. What have you done in your life to change it?