The Pie

In the autobiographical narrative “The Pie,” Gary Soto tells of a sin he commits as a child and later feels guilty about. Although he knew stealing was wrong, that knowledge still did not keep him from taking a pie from the market. With the use of religious diction, vivid imagery, repetition, and pacing, Soto tells his readers of his life-changing experience, and what he thinks is the meaning of sin. The author uses religious diction …

…I knew sin was what you took and didn’t give back.” What the young boy knew was the wrong thing to do was just that. He commits a sin when he takes the pie without paying for it, therefore taking something without giving anything back. From this line, we can also see that he learns his lesson of stealing and sinning, because the reader senses a tone of remorse and regret in the sentence.