Am I blue

“Am I Blue” By Bruce Caville is an inspiring short story about 2 people who talk about the world being filled with gays. Vince is 16 years old who is getting bullied by a Butch Carrigan. Vince gets beat up by butch. Vince landed in a mud puddle. Butch bullies Vince because he thinks Vince is gay. A tall man come to talk to Vince named Melvin. Melvin explains to Vince that he is his first person to get a fairy godfather who allows Vince three wishes. Vince doesn't believe him at first but while he was in the mud puddle he splashed some mud at Melvin and in a blink of an eye the mud disappeared on his khakis pants. Vince believe him because that Melvin made the mud disappeared. Melvin explains to Vince how the world is filled with gays and you can’t even see it.  Melvin tells Vince about the third gay fantasies the third fantasies is when you get to see everybody who is gay/lesbian, blue for a day. Vince then questions himself “am I blue”. Vince learn after the fantasy that when you least expect it happens.

Melvin takes Vince to a diner after Vince got bullied by butch. Melvin tells Vince he is his fairy godfather and he will grant him three wishes. Vince tells Melvin about his story on how butch keeps picking non Vince because he is a faggot (gay). Melvin tells Vince “ listen honey the world is crawling with faggots.but most of them are hiding because there afraid of what people from the outside world will think of them afraid they’ll get treated the way you did just hour ago.” What the text is saying is anybody can be gay. All the gay people are just hiding what they really are because they are afraid they’ll get beat up. Also the fairy godfather himself also got beat up for being gay. One time while Melvin was walking home he got jumped by three people then the three people said we’ll teach you faggot. I think Melvin can empathize from what happens to Vince everyday by Butch. Vince wonders if he or anybody he know is gay.

Melvin had a normal life before he was a fairy godfather. Melvin always talks to his friend the way he knew it wouldn't hurt their feeling. Melvin and his friend all call each other faggot but playfully and not hurtfully. In the text it says “My friend and I call each other faggot or queer for the same reason black people call each other nigger- to take the world away from people who want to use them to hurt us “. Melvin is saying his friend calls him faggot and queer so than when other people call him faggot and queer he won’t get hurt or mad because he is used to it. Melvin does what he want when he want because he is not going to let anyone define him or change the way he think, act, or even dress. I think Melvin is saying that it doesn't matter if you’re gay, straight, bisexual it doesn't give anybody the right to change who you are.

Melvin tells Vince if he want to live the third fantasy for a day. Vince agrees only if it doesn't cost Vince one of his wish Melvin agrees and tells him it only educational. In the text it says “We used to imagine what it used to be like if every gay person turns blue for the day? My eyes went wide, why” “So all the straight would have to stop imagining that didn't know gay people” Melvin tells Vince that some people might not be as straight as they seem. Vince says okay Melvin touch Vince eyes for five second and Melvin then tells Vince that it okay to open his eyes. Vince opens his eyes and sees that half the diner where Melvin and Vince were having their chat was covered with blue. Vince says almost 1/3 of the dinner is cover with blue. I think that anybody even when you’re in a normal place is gay even when they don’t look like it they change their look and try to fit in society. Also in the story when Vince leaves the diner he sees a grocery store employee who looks like to Vince a big blueberry. Vince was surprised because Mr. Alwain was married and had 3 kids. Vince then come across a library and sees the librarian and Vince and his friend assume that the librarian is the most lesbian’s ever but when he saw her he hardly saw blue on her. I think this shows that anybody can be “blue” even when you least expect it also it also says to never judge a book by its cover.

In conclusion, Melvin help Vince see the world where gays can be revealed form their true identity. If you’re gay then don’t let anybody change that. Also the bully who bullied Vince because Vince was “gay” turned out to be gay when he turned three.