Week 10 Responses The story “His Birthday” is about a father who is trying to create this quiet birthday party for his son and doesn’t want the attraction of the city to get his son’s attention to do other stuff for his birthday. The family is the protagonists. The ideas of the protagonists were to be simple, but cheap in ways that not only were the son could enjoy his birthday, but also so that the rest of the family could enjoy the birthday as well. The father wanted to make his son’s birthday special and wanted him to get anything he wanted at the toy store despite paying bills and other expenses. “Get anything you want…but he didn’t say but not for too much. He couldn’t talk about money on his son’s birthday, didn’t want to explain about…show more content… “Maybe they should go somewhere else…to any shopping center where there was a toy store.”(Gilb, 73) When they got into the toy store it was filled with other wandering and excited children as if it was the only place that made toys. The father told his son that he could get anything he wanted and the boy picked out a 145 piece set that had a “big mountain, and tanks, and a landing craft to cross the river and fighter planes.” (Gilb, 74) After that the mother had to get some party plates and also she had to get something for his brother and sister so they didn’t cry. She got them a $.87 cent package of horses and a soft pink…show more content… Ideas about the protagonists I would say that Erick is much of a shy and quiet person. He doesn’t talk to anyone but Albert. He doesn’t talk to any of the men his mom talks to nor does he talk to his mom very much. Erick loved baseball and he knew about all the Dodgers players “As if they were Dodgers players like Steve Yeager, Dusty Baker, Kenny Landreaux, Mike Marshall, or Pedro Guerrero.” (Gilb, 84) Erick is a cautious son who dislikes all the attention she gains from all these men. The story starts off with Erick eating with his mom at his favorite restaurant. Then things changed after that. Erick said that “He’d be sitting there, eating with his mother, not bothering anybody, and life was good, when a man started changing it all.” (Gilb, 79) This was the start of when he then describes all the types of men trying to talk to his mother. “How old is he, eight or nine?” (Gilb, 79) Erick is eleven years old and all these men would try to ask his mother his age just to use him as if he was an ice breaker and Erick didn’t like that at all. Erick’s mom would always go for the wealthy men as he stated “She almost gave the man her number if he was wearing a suit.” Erick’s true feelings were revealed when “he thanked God for his mom, who he loved, and he apologized