Baseball Glove

Sometimes, Manny is a dreamer. And at the start of this book, there's one dream that's looming large in his mind: getting a shiny new baseball glove. Yep, our main man is a baseball fanatic. It's not just about the glove, though, and when Manny imagines having a brand spanking new mitt, he gets all kinds of good feelings inside. He tells us:

I imagined already being on the baseball team at school, and people looking at me. Not these people picking chilies or those sent away in the vans, but people I had yet to know, watching me as I stood mightily in center field. (1.66)

Manny has a vivid imagination, and when he pictures having the new glove, it comes along with being the star of the baseball team. Did you notice how Manny talks about how people will be "watching me," or how he'll be standing "mightily" on the field? Sounds to us like Manny's baseball fantasies have a lot to do with being successful and having others notice him. His dream of owning the glove, then, is symbolic of his dream of fitting in, of being a star and accepted.

But there's even more: Manny figures that baseball will also open up new possibilities for him, and that's pretty cool. Just check out how he wants to be watched by "people I had yet to know." Manny hopes for a future that is different from the life he currently lives, and the baseball glove represents this desire.

So the baseball glove has a lot to do with both possibilities and acceptance. Here's hoping Manny catches all of his dreams…