The Wallace Plot Short Story

Most children would agree that their parents are their biggest supporters and motivators; although, that is not the case in the short story, “The Wallace Playlot.” The determination comes from within each and every character. Lombardo uses characterization to develop the idea of there being multiple different factors that play into the creation of a strong passion in which somebody holds. Throughout the short story the reader sees everything through the eyes of Petey. He is not the strongest player on the field, however his perspective is how Lombardo conveys his idea of persistence coming from within. He also shows how both a community and a singular person or player can help shape a person's love towards softball.
Lombardo shows the reader
The central focus on this story is whether or not Kenny is going to catch one hundred softballs. Throughout the process, the community starts to circulate around the softball field. The inconspicuous game the boys were playing started off with just a few people. “And then I walked over to first base with Matty Vacc, where we could watch the thing unfold. We were giddy” (page 52). Even Petey says it, this little game is nothing more than just a thing. Until it accumulates into becoming something much more than that. “At ‘sixty-five!’ I noticed that traffic had completely stopped on thirty-third street” (page 56). Everybody is coming together to watch this little boy reveal his incredible talent for softball. “It was like the crowd at the fourth of July all-star game, and it seemed that everybody wanted Kenny to keep catching softballs, as if they wanted him not to fail, to never drop a ball” (page 56). This encouragement from the community really stuck to Petey. He now realizes that everybody is at the field to support Kenny. This act of encouragement from everybody drives Petey to want it more, and to be Kenny, or at least as good as he