Mosquito Plot Analysis

Mosquito
By: Chris Zhang
In David Ciepley’s short story “Mosquito” the main character Andrew is fighting to gain acceptance from his older brother Todd. In the beginning, Andrew is seen to be both determined and intelligent, but his many decisions show him to be mostly immature in his understanding of social expectations, causing his brother to reject him. Throughout the game of Truth or Dare, however, Andrew’s character traits lead him to more reasoned choices as he begins to understand the consequences of his decisions in terms of the rules of the Game and his goal of acceptance. By the end, Andrew has matured in his understanding and is reluctantly accepted by his brother. It is Andrew’s character traits that have lead him to an understanding of the consequences of his actions and this maturity has lead to an understanding of social expectations and therefore, greater acceptance.
In the beginning, Andrew is seen to be both determined and intelligent, but his many decisions show him to be mostly immature in his understanding of social expectations, causing his brother to reject him. Although Andrew shows determination and intelligence, it is negated by the fact that a immature choice has preceded it. For example, through his determination, Andrew manages to be allowed in the tent with the older boys, he had convinced his mother, yet despite his determination, this decision works against him, as it reinforces Todd’s belief that Andrew is a ‘mommy’s boy’ and leads to Andrew’s rejection. Another example is that although Andrew wipes away off the bug spray, showing intelligence, it was immature of him to put it on in the first place when he knew they were going to play pop the mosquito. These immature choices show an overall lack of understanding social expectation and result in Andrew’s rejection. However, some understanding has been shown when he wipes it off, and this is further evident when Todd challenges him to a game of Truth or Dare. Andrew recalls that...