Read the excerpts.
"Broken Chain"
Alfonso sat on the porch trying to push his crooked teeth to where he thought they belonged. He hated the way he
looked. Last week he did fifty sit-ups a day, thinking that he would burn those already apparent ripples on his stomach
to even deeper ripples, dark ones, so when he went swimming at the canal next summer, girls in cut-offs would notice.
And the guys would think he was tough, someone who could take a punch and give it back.
"Fish Cheeks"
When I found out that my parents had invited the minister's family over for Christmas Eve dinner, I cried. What would
Robert think of our shabby Chinese Christmas? What would he think of our noisy Chinese relatives who lacked proper
American manners? What terrible disappointment would he feel upon seeing not a roasted turkey and sweet potatoes
but Chinese food?
How do both the essay and short story convey the theme that people often care about what others think of them?
O Alfonso is embarrassed by his family traditions, and Amy doesn't like the way she looks.
O Alfonso wants others to notice him, and Amy is worried about what Robert will think.
Alfonso questions his family's ways and Amy isn't confident in herself