Answer and Explanation:
I have chosen topic 3. Compare and contrast Grace and Jo-Anne.
In the short story “The Slip-over Sweater” by Jesse Stuart, the main character Shan is also the narrator. That means we see everything through his eyes, including the two most important girls in his life, Grace and Jo-Anne.
Shan reveals he used to be in love with Grace when they were younger. It turns out that, by the end of the story, he falls back in love with her. Grace is described as a beautiful, strong girl. Similarly to Shan, she has a connection with nature, especially the mountain close to their school. No wonder Shan uses the mountain when describing her qualities:
"And I knew she had the durability and the toughness of a storm-battered mountain oak."
"Grace was as beautiful as our mountain was in April, prettier than a blossom of wild phlox or a mountain daisy."
Grace is sensitive and sensible, hard-working and empathetic. She goes out of her way to help Shan pay the debt he made because of Jo-Anne. She is observant, attentive, which allows her to read Shan easily and to ready herself to help him.
Jo-Anne is Grace’s opposite. That does not mean she is not a good person. She has a different background and upbringing, a different personality as well. She does not see the world or people the way Grace does. She likes Shan for reasons that are more superficial. Jo-Anne finds him handsome, which is why she thinks he should get the sweater. Jo-Anne finds him fun, which is why she spends time with him. Unlike Grace, who has a type of peculiar beauty, Jo-Anne is the obviously pretty girl.
"I loved everybody, but I worshiped Jo-Anned Burton.”
Notice how Shan does not say he loved her. Jo-Anne is not the type of girl who would inspire love in Shan. He adores her for her beauty, popularity, charm. However, once he gets worried about his debt – the debt he made to get the sweater Jo-Anne wanted -, he stops being funny. Constantly concerned, Shan is not fun anymore. Jo-Anner never asks him what is wrong, like Grace does. She never offers to help. She simply decides not to waste her time with him anymore. Of course, before she even decides to do that, Shan has already realized he is in fact in love with Grace. His infatuation for Jo-Anne is long gone.
