Character Analysis
The main teacher in this tale is Mr. Hart, Manny's former history teacher. We don't hear a ton about Mr. H—by the time we meet the guy, Manny isn't even in his class anymore—but our main man does have some pretty vivid memories about how passionate he is as a teacher. His fervor in the classroom has left a mark in Manny's mind.
He isn't just a passionate teacher, though—Mr. H is one of those people who cares about his students long term. So even though Manny isn't in his class any longer, Mr. H takes an interest in the kid. In fact, when Manny tells Mr. H that he's trying to transfer to the fancy school across town, Mr. Hart decides to help his former pupil out just a bit. Check it out:
Mr. Hart waved me into his office and asked where I lived. […] Then he showed me what he had written on the paper bag. It said, Give the Hernandez boy $20. He pointed at the amount and asked if it was enough. (3.29)
There're two things we know for sure about Mr. H: He's a nice guy, and he's an awkward guy—and this incident reminds us that both of these factoids are true. On the one hand, he's supportive and super kind. He's been staring at Manny's beat-up old shoes during their whole conversation and clearly just wants to make sure this teen has what he needs to start school on the right foot.
But Mr. Hart also goes about his gift giving in the weirdest way possible. What do you think of Mr. H's gesture? And what about how he writes himself a note on a bag and then shows it to Manny? What does this action tell us about this teacher? One word that immediately comes to mind for us is awkward.
But who cares? He may be an oddball, but Mr. H definitely cares about his students. And with so much drama at home, it's good there's an adult somewhere out there who can nurture Manny when he needs it.