Eleven

The red sweater symbolizes social ostracization and poverty. From its introduction, it is presented as an undesirable object. Mrs. Price points out that it’s “been sitting in the coatroom for a month,” and every student in class denies owning it, saying, “Not mine […] Not me” (Paragraph 6). Clearly, the true owner wishes to distance themselves from the sweater. This emphasizes that it symbolizes social ostracization: It is depicted plainly as something no one wants, implying that if someone did own it, then they would by extension be unwanted too.

Rachel describes it as “an ugly sweater with red plastic buttons and a collar and sleeves all stretched out like you could use it for a jump rope” (Paragraph 7). She notes that “it’s maybe a thousand years old” and adds, “even if it belonged to me I wouldn’t say so” (Paragraph 7). The red sweater is old, used, and in poor condition, and this shabby state suggests poverty—another status for which a student might be ostracized by their peers. The fact that Mrs. Price insists it belongs to Rachel suggests she sees Rachel as someone with an impoverished background. This is why Rachel is so humiliated when she is forced to wear the sweater: She is being forced to conform Mrs. Price’s perception of her as impoverished and therefore inferior.

Rachel’s descriptions of the sweater grow more intense as she puts it on. The narration uses long, run-on sentences to showcase her desperation and anxiety; she “stands there with [her] arms apart as if the sweater hurts [her], and it does, all itchy and full of germs that aren’t even [hers]” (Paragraph 18). She also notes that it “smells like cottage cheese” (Paragraph 18), a vivid sense description that emphasizes her horror. The moment is so distressing because when Rachel puts the sweater on, she becomes associated with its undesirable status, and she is desperate to avoid the consequences of this social stigma: judgment and ostracization from her peers.