Although the story is comic, it treats a serious question: at what age is a person responsible for wrongs they commit? Does it matter that Jackie is only seven? Would the story work if he were 17, or 27, or 67? Research the legal question of when a child can be considered responsible for their actions and argue yes or no: At the age of seven, Jackie is responsible for his actions.

In the two minor characters of Mrs. Ryan, the catechism teacher, and the young priest who hears Jackie’s confession the story introduces two opposing representations of Catholicism. Compare and contrast the two to test the following assertion: What makes a person a bad Catholic makes them a good person; what makes a person a good Catholic makes them a bad person.

Why is Jackie so ashamed of his grandmother? Consider how we often make judgments about people based on where they are from.