The Sir

Abstract

The Sir is a novel about a directionless college graduate who takes a fourth grade teaching position at a country school in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. David Walsh is taken by the exoticness of his surroundings, as well as a newfound sense of purpose as he tries to break down the walls of authority, culture, and class that divide him from his academically struggling students. He forms close relationships with two students in particular: Ramon Garza, a child prodigy, and Eddie Santos, a troublemaker from a broken family. The planting of a garden in the school\u27s vegetation-less courtyard symbolizes David\u27s hopes for an edenic community, but as the school year wears on, his efforts at becoming a co-learner devolve into ethical tangles, violence, and personal crisis. The novel ends six years later as David, now married and with his wife expecting a child, travels back to the Valley after receiving a disturbing letter from Ramon. He returns in an attempt to redeem his past failures, only to confront once again his own demons