“Failure: My Greatest Success,” by James Hynes is an inspiring short story about a high- school boy who faced failure and rejection for the first time in his life but still redeemed himself. The main character is a sophomore who participated in football and basketball as a freshman, but wasn’t able to make the teams again. The dreadful blows to him made him give up for a short time until he attempted to beat his own record for the mile run in track. After working hard and succeeding, he gained back his confidence and ended up starting for his football team.
I really enjoyed reading this piece and I felt like I could relate to the main character. The author made me feel like I was there and went through that experience with him. For example, James wrote, “The last stretch is brutal, but I hear cheering and sprint with what energy I have left. I cross the line and turn to see 4:59 on the clock. I did it! I finally reached a goal I set for myself!” I admire what the main character went through and how he worked to succeed and in the end it all worked out for him.