Open Minded

The short story "Am I Blue?" by Bruce Coville is about a boy named Vincent. He is not sure if he is gay or not, and he's been trying to figure himself out.  One day, after he's been beat up by his bully, Butch Carrigan, a man shows up and identifies himself as Vincent's fairy godfather. After getting over his shock, Vincent accepts his fairy godfather Melvin's help in defining himself. Vince grows significantly throughout the story,

In the beginning, Vincent isn't sure whether he is gay or not. He is not proud of his confusion, and he is embarrassed to be seen as gay. Being insecure and vulnerable, Vince is ashamed.

Melvin helps Vincent learn about himself. He also inspires him to do something good for all the gay people: turn them all blue for a day. This shows straight people that they have been living among gay people their whole lives and it's fine. After doing this deed, Vince is still not sure if he is gay. When he looks at himself in the mirror, he has a blueish tint. Still, he is not certain. However, even though Vine is not sure exactly where he stands, he is more confident with being unsure now.  Melvin has shown Vince that being gay is nothing to be ashamed about. He is proud of the fact that he is a little confused. "And my third wish? I've decided to save it for when I meet the girl of my dreams. Or Prince Charming. Whichever," Vince thinks. This quote shows that Vince is now open to thinking about who he is, whether he's gay or not. He's proud of himself either way.

In life, I think that even when we are not sure who we are, it makes a huge difference in figuring it out when we are open to being anything. We need to commit to be proud of ourselves no matter what. For the future, I will be open to change because I now know that I can be confident no matter what. I think that's very important.

In this story, the protagonist, Vince, changes a lot. He becomes more confident and open minded about who he is. I hope that he figures it out one day.