Last Night I Sang to the Monster - Essay Example

Sadness in Zach’s Heart and Mr. Garcia’s Role in Zach’s Life Zach thinks that God wrote “sad” on his heart. This thinking about sadness in his heartis important because it shows the main emotion he always feels because of his experiences in life, especially with his family. He is always sad because of many reasons. First, he is in an abusive home environment that makes him sad. His mom is depressed, his dad is an alcoholic, and his older brother is an aggressive drug dealer. The absence of a loving older role model makes it hard for him to find happiness in his life.

Second, Zach does not feel that he should be loved at all, which makes him sadder. For example, after Mr. Garcia tells him that he is a remarkable writer, which is another way of saying that he likes him, Zach thinks: “Who the fuck wanted to like a kid like me?” (Saenz 18). Zach’s sadness is so deep that he does not feel worthy of anyone’s attention, much more, love and admiration. Despite Zach’s sadness, there is hope that he can change what he thinks is written in his heart, but it can take a long time.

He must be ready to go through the painful time of remembering. He must remember because forgetting is not coping with his problems and questions in life. Apart from dealing with his sadness, Mr. Garcia is important because he is the first person who showed that he truly cared for Zach for the person that he is and he could be. One time, he tells Zach that he wrote “amazing” papers that are good enough for him to be a Literature teacher too (Saenz 16). Zach feels confused because no one gives him compliments.

He has very low self-esteem because he thinks that he is nobody in this world. Mr. Garcia reminds him that he is a good, intelligent person who can be somebody more. Work CitedSaenz, Benjamin Alire. Last Night I Sang to the Monster. Texas: Cinco Puntos, 2009. Print.