Even though Gary Soto incorporates Spanish terms to indicate his Latino background, his stories illustrate the universal stages of child development. His early childhood is set in a small area, and small, concrete objects are like treasure to him. Even though he does not have fancy toys, he is content playing with the simplest of things such as mud, stones, and sticks, which he narrates from the ground perspective: "I played with the gravel as I waited for the next train. I pulled at foxtails and pounded a bottle cap with my fist into the soft asphalt. I smelled the inside of a Cracker Jacks box, crushed flat by a car tire. I stirred an ant hill with a splintered plastic spoon and collected the shark teeth of broken bottles." He is a worry-free little child growing up with his family.
As soon as he goes to school, he is exposed to other children and their views of the world. While at home he receives unconditional love from his family, he now realizes that he needs to impress his friends if he wants to be admired, so he imitates his cousin doing cartwheels and backflips, and he works hard on his Science projects to win a prize. However, he also learns to deal with failure--his athletic skills are just not good enough, and his older brother sabotaged his Science project so he did not win the first prize. While observing others it also seems to dawn on him that his future lies somewhere else, as many young people leave Fresno due to the lack of economic opportunities. Another push factor during this time is his stepfather, who seems to care more for beer and TV than his family.
Growing up, his perspective widens, and he now pursues more abstract concepts such as a stable life and financial independence. With his stepfather and older brother being unsupportive, he looks for role models and guidance somewhere else and finds them in his baseball teammate Tony and The Rolling Stones. Soon, however, Tony moves away, so Gary realizes that he needs to move out of Fresno as well if he wants to have a better life. His plan to move out at the age of 18, therefore, seems a logical consequence. Eventually, he follows through with his best friend Scott and moves to Los Angeles because he "wanted to join the army so that I could travel." He does not mention saying goodbye to his family; therefore, he seems to be completely detached from his family and childhood life in Fresno. In the end, he sums up his feelings by saying "We were dying to leave home, by car, thumb or on water racing west to where the sun went down," which is the complete opposite of his observation in the very first paragraph of the book: "At the young age of five, I couldn't go far."
