The Garden of Sticks - Character types (Grade 8)

Alejandra snaps the single stick and says, 'This is one of us, working alone.' This action is a metaphor to help the community understand that individual efforts are easily defeated, unlike collective ones.

In the third paragraph, Duke explicitly tells Alejandra, 'It's every person for themselves here.' This reveals his individualistic character.

Duke's dialogue ('I take care of my own') and actions (crossing his arms, scoffing, and walking away) show that he is in direct opposition to Alejandra's goal of building a community, making him the antagonist.

The passage states this directly in two places. Nia mentions, 'Kyle’s little fence keeps falling over,' and later Alejandra sees Kyle frustrated with a 'broken fence post.'

After seeing Alejandra's demonstration with the sticks, Kyle connects the lesson to his own problem. He understands that his 'single posts' are weak just like the single stick, showing he has grasped the story's central theme about community strength.

The characters and actions in the story clearly fall into two opposing philosophies. Alejandra, her demonstration, and Kyle's eventual agreement represent the power of community. Duke, his selfish dialogue, and the failing strategy of building a fence alone represent the weakness of individualism.

Each line of dialogue directly reveals the character's inner state. Alejandra's line shows her leadership. Duke's line shows his selfish philosophy. Kyle's line shows his personal frustration. Nia's line shows her general discouragement with the state of the garden.