"Things happened to that dog on this cruel earth to make it the way it was. Wasn't his fault, but still. It's not like God is gonna step in now, point his finger down from heaven, and touch that animal, make it so it can be around people and other animals the right way" (230).
"Maybe. But I'm still gonna avenge my friend. Rico Miller? Shit, motherfuckers like him, they're in their element behind those walls. I ain't gonna let him have that gift. Boy needs to be put down like an animal...I'm not goin' back to where I been. I'm gonna be at work tomorrow and the day after that. But I'm still gonna do this thing tonight."
"It don't work this way."
"We'll see."
"You been out of it so long, you forgot how it goes. You go in, you got to go in fierce. Forget they're human. Forget that you're human too."
"I know it. Remember, I've done this before."
""But you cleaned your slate. Now, what, you gonna go and throw away your soul again?"
"What about yours?"
"Mine's been lost forever..." (257-258)
"There go my name, Mama," he said, pointing happily at the tree. (266)
He walked down to the steps where Melvin Lee lay unconscious in the grass. He shot Lee twice in the chest, holstered the Colt, and walked on.
Nigel could see this boy was not much older than Michael Butler. Or Rico Miller, the boy he'd just killed. (274)
A couple of teenage boys, school age but not in school, walked across the field and chuckled at him, standing there wearing a uniform a uniform and holding a bag of shit as they passed. Go ahead and laugh, thought Lorenzo. I don't care. (279)
Deacon's troops were still out there, working the corners. And if you were to go away, there would always be other young men to replace the Marcus Griffins, Lawrence Grahams, Nigel Johnsons, and Deacon Taylors. Lorenzo understood why boys went down to the corners; he had been one of them and he knew. Still, the knowledge didn't lessen the bitterness he felt. (281)
Lorenzo said a prayer for all the people who looked after him and were looking after him still: Mark Christianson and Irena Tovar, his grandmother, and Miss Lopez.
"...I'm dating a man, a police officer. I don't know where it's going, but it's good today. And that's what I'm focusing on, today."
Lorenzo said a special prayer for the soul of Nigel.
"...so thank you for letting me share," said Rachel Lopez. (287)
So everything comes together, almost all by happenstance, mistake, and misunderstanding. If DeEric hadn't embarrassed Melvin Lee in front of Rico...If Rachel hadn't come to Lee's apartment when Rico was hiding out there (or had come an hour or two earlier when Lee was there)...If Lorenzo hadn't seen Rico's car at the dogfight...If Lorenzo hadn't spent two more minutes to find out what that scream was about in the hospital...If Nigel hadn't lowered his gun in front of Griff...
Then again: if the schools worked...if the police didn't take their time getting to dogfights or make cursory drives through drug areas like Columbia Heights where "sales of one kind or another had been ongoing for over thirty years" (147)...if "a federal law enacted in 1996 [that] imposed a lifetime ban on female offenders from receiving family benefits and food stamps" (88) didn't exist...if the drug organizations didn't follow the model of corporate America, where workers—like Rico and Lee—are disposable, despite all the talk of their value to the company...if people were just smarter and stronger and kinder...then Michael and DeEric and Rico and Melvin and Nigel would all be alive at the end of the book.
I apologize: I wish I had done a better job of elucidating the depth of this book—a depth some of you I know do not think exists in it. I do think it is there, though, even in spite of my fumbling the presentation of it. In my mind, the book is a heartbreaking depiction of American at the precipice. It's the Youngers' Chicago forty six later; it's Gatsy pushed to its logical end, where bootlegging has become drug dealing, and Gatsby's huge, ugly car (as Elizabeth pointed out in class) has become the ubiquitous Escalade (starting, today, at $63,000 and topping out at eighty two eight). An immigrant couple's lifetime of honest work becomes the rationale for a perverted vision of the American Dream where imprisonment and/or death replaces the son who becomes an Army general and the daughter who becomes a chemist at the National Institute of Health.
So:
1. Your reaction to the end of the book? Is it a happy ending? A sad ending? Exactly what kind of ending was it for you—and how so?
2. You may have addressed this above, but it's still a major question for our understanding of what the book is about. Your reaction to Rico's— and Melvin Lee's—death? Do you feel satisfied by their deaths? Are we supposed to agree with Lorenzo that he "needs to be put down like an animal"?
3. We talked a lot about Rachel earlier in our reading, but we haven't talked very specifically about Lorenzo. At the end of the book, what do you think of him? He is a man who has done much violence in his life—in many ways, he is a mirror of Rico—and in the book, he does violence too (arguably unnecessary violence): he is, in many ways, not a good man. Is he a good man at the end of the book?
4. Last question: is Nigel a good man at the end of the book? Yes? No? Why—in a couple of sentences.
It's just taken me over an hour to write this entry. I'm not expecting an hour of writing from you, but nor do I expect five minutes on this either. Give yourself twenty minutes or so to respond. See you all tomorrow.
1. I think that the ending is neither happy or sad, but rather peaceful in a sort of way. At the Narcotics Anonymous meeting, it seemed as if each speaker was at peace and optimistic in a way. What Rachel and the "light-skinned man with big freckles" said really proved this to me. "I ain't never gonna be cured of this sickness I got...But I feel better than I did yesterday. And yesterday? I felt better than I did the day before. So thank you for letting me share" (283). Rachel's speech is quite similar to this mans. "I'm dating a man, a police officer. I don't know where it's going, but it's good today. And that's what I'm focusing on now: today" (287). Both characters stress the importance of living in the now, living day by day. It is nice to see this kind of honesty and hope in a otherwise bleak novel.
ReplyDelete2. I don't think it is "right" to feel satisfied with the death of a person. I don't think anyone deserves to be put down like an animal either. Even though "motherfuckers like him (Rico and Melvin), they're in their element behind those walls" (257), I think that they really deserve a life sentence where it is guaranteed they wont get let out after 14 years or something. While writing this, I am also conflicted. Part of me agrees with what I said above about putting them in jail, but another part of me agrees with what Lorenzo said about the pitbull at the shelter. He said that some dogs can't be saved and all they do is harm others. I think that that may be true for Rico, but not Melvin. However I also feel for Rico because of the heart-wrenching story of his childhood. He is just like the Mamba or Lucy. He grew up with violence and can no longer shake it off. So in a sense, yes, Rico deserves to be "put down like an animal."
3. I think Lorenzo is a good man at the end of the book, and actually I think he is a good man through out the book. People make mistakes, do the wrong things, but in the end it is really all about redemption and change. I think that Lorenzo is a really strong person because he pushes through his headaches, his yearning to violate, and lives as normal of a life as possible. He cares about other people, like his grandmother, Mark, Rachel, Nigel, Rayne, and Lakeisha. I think that Lorenzo ends the book as a genuinely good person. Yeah he was unnecessarily violent at times, but he was doing it out of love and respect for another person, Nigel. He ended the book still picking up Jasmine's poop, which I think is the sign that he has not changed in a negative way but rather a positive way, because when the teenage boys laugh at him, he no longer cares.
4. I think that Nigel is a good man in the sense that he took it on his own hands to avenge the death of young men that he "showed to an early grave." I have a lot of respect for him that he killed Miller and Lee himself rather than ordering even more of his soldiers to and risking their lives. However I cannot respect him for killing people.
1. I suppose it’s a fairly happy ending. Our two main characters are alive and doing well. Lorenzo has permanently sealed his little weapon locker. He’s no longer getting into bad and or extra-legal situations (as far as we know). He has found some happiness with Rayne and Lakeisha. Rachel has been sober for a few months. She’s happy dating that cop. Aside from those two, Sarge and Shirley are happy and Deacon Taylor, the only living bad guy, has a chance to be caught. It’s very neat. However, the book leaves us with the idea that everyone’s doing well despite the things going on around them. The drug trade continues after Nigel dies, and will continue if Deacon gets caught. I don’t think it was ever anyone’s hope (reader, author, or character) that all crime in Washington D.C. would stop at then end. It’s optimistic in that we have a significant group of people who’ve managed to make it out.
ReplyDelete2. Clearly there’s more to Rico than just some evil psychopath. That may be all he functions as, but the scenes from his childhood make it more difficult to dislike him completely. Rico’s like is unfortunate in that he happened to be born into a terrible household. Maybe if Lorenzo’s mother hadn’t gone to prison, and his grandmother hadn’t raised him, he would’ve turned out like Rico. As it is, they have a lot of similar traits. Miller just seemed pitiful in the end. None of what happened in the end was really his fault. It didn’t make me happy to see either of them die, however, in terms of a story, it wouldn’t have seemed right if they had both turned things around and become productive members of society.
3. I don’t really think anyone in the book is just good or bad. They all do different things, but there are reasons for all of them. There are reasons that none of us can really argue with. I don’t think anyone would blame Rico for his mother’s abuse. And isn’t that really the reason he is the way he is? In one respect, it’s arbitrary how everyone turns out. Lorenzo turned out lucky, and he was able to carve out a good life for himself. In another sense, most people believe that everyone must be held responsible at some point. In that sense, yes, Lorenzo has a better control and can function as a better person.
4. Just like Lorezno and Rico, Nigel is a product of everything that’s ever happened to him. He’s not good or evil. He wasn’t doing anything fundamentally good in murdering Rico and Melvin, but he wasn’t doing anything that anyone would complain about either. None of their three deaths were quite surprising or tragic, but I don’t suppose I felt as much animosity for Nigel as I did for Rico.
1. The ending felt a bit rushed. I understand, that Lorenzo learned his lesson, and is grateful for his now calm life, and he is on the up and up, the straight and narrow, the american dream. But I cannot help but feel that the ending feels unresolved. Nigel may be dead, but Lorenzo understands that one will fill his position easily and the cycle will restart. Lorenzo was still out for blood until the very end, and only Nigel can stop him from going through with the murder. The bad blood still runs through his veins, he just now has the mind to steer away from that path rather than fall deeper into it. The ending to me, seemed like a portion of a cycle that follows Lorenzo's path, but it ultimately depicts a negative message in saying that Drama City will always exist, and the drugs and violence and power complex to boot.
ReplyDelete2.I think the abruptness of their deaths, is Pelecanos' way of telling us that these men, as well as Nigel and Lorenzo, never come out on top. They are victims of their own city, and there is no clear winner or resolution with the bullets put in their heads. I think Pelecanos makes it very clear in that Rico is more than just a violent killer, when we learn of his story and background. There is no villain, or hero. Rico, Nigel, DeEric, Lorenzo, and Melvin are all born into lives that lead them down the paths they "choose". They may have the choice, but they certainly are not encouraged to take the path towards a clean slate.
3.As I said before, I do not think Lorenzo is a good man. He made his choices, and you cannot teach an old dog new tricks. This is the motto Lorenzo lives by, when he puts down the abused animals in the pound. I think Lorenzo is an old dog, and he may be able to learn to stay out of trouble, but trouble is all he knows. The last scene was nice to see, how he is sealing up the cut out in his floor, talking to Rayne and attending the NA meetings, but I still feel the old Lorenzo lurking.
4. Nigel saved Lorenzo's life in the last chapter, and tries to make up for all of the decisions and choices he made in his past life. He recognizes his faults, and walks into death willingly. The last scene really added a different perspective of Nigel for me, and I think he is a good man.
1. I’m not sure if it’s a happy or sad ending. I think all of the loose ends were tied up, nothing was left unexplained but I’m not sure if the ending is good. I think its good in the sense that everything worked out, Lorenzo didn’t violate himself, Rico died, Rachel lived, etc. But I also think it’s a little sad because Nigel died at the hand of his competitor and some things could have been avoided. But like it was said in the prompt, the ending is a result of how things are set up in this society and these are the kinds of things that happen as a result of the way this microcosm is set up.
ReplyDelete2. I feel sorry for Rico because of how he grew up and the way that his mother treated him and he’s just the result of growing up like that and I think his attitude comes from not knowing any different and not really being able to help it. Like Christine said, I don’t think there’s any reason to feel happy over someone’s death regardless of who they are but I do think that Rico had a lot of issues and his chances of becoming a better member of society were incredibly slim. I think Lee’s death could have been avoided and he didn’t want to be involved in all of this mess with Rachel and Rico dragged him into it but I felt a little more remorse for Lee’s death than Rico’s.
3. I think calling him a promising man is more accurate. He still enjoys being violent, he still envies the young boys that stand on the corner and he misses the thrills of that old life. But I think he also has changed a lot and has made realizations that those paths don’t lead to anywhere but a dead end and that he cant live like that anymore. I think he is an exemplary ex-offender and he is trying to get his life back on track and creating a stable life for himself and that’s noble but I think the drug soldier part of him will always be there and it will always be a bit of a struggle for Lorenzo to balance the old life and the new life.
4. I think he’s better than some of the others, but I wouldn’t put him on a pedestal. He has wronged, his whole life was a game, and his life ended as a result of poor choices in a world that doesn’t seem to value his life. I thought it was nice of him to continuously look out for Lorenzo even until the very end when he wanted to go with Nigel to kill Rico and Melvin but there’s something about him that doesn’t make him seem that much of a hero in the first place.
I found the ending to be bitter sweet almost. While there is some closure in the very last part, with all of the characters at the NA meeting sharing stories about how their lives are looking up and how they are recovering and progressing forward, and with Rachel and Lorenzo obviously moving forward in their lives, the ending is not necessarily a happy one. Or, I would say, it is happy but it could've been much happier. I think if you take out Nigel's death and have everything else go the way it does in the novel, you have a much happier ending than we have here. Lorenzo does not lose a friend, and simply there is that much less blood lost in the drug game. Nigel's death is startling and shocking when it comes, it's almost numbing, and I think it adds to the bitter part of this bitter sweet ending. But even if we look at this ending without Nigel's death, it is still bitter sweet. I think through these last couple off scenes with all of the violence that occurs, Pelecanos is really giving us a closing commentary on this drug game and how everything works, how corrupt this life and this system is and how very similar it is to the rest of the world. For example, when Griff talks about how he would shoot anyone just because it's his job to do so. It's almost as if Pelecanos is giving his commentary a finale, going out with a bang in making this point. There really is no answer given to this problem that he presents, so even with the happy endings of Lorenzo and Rachel, the ending is bitter sweet.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that it did feel somewhat right to me, the deaths of Melvin and Rico. Unlike some of the other murder scenes, I really felt no form of sympathy or remorse for the victims, only that they really had it coming and that they deserved it. So I guess I would say that they did deserve it because they really brought it upon themselves. And, in some sense they did feel like the bad guys to me throughout the book, despite the complexity and the struggles that we see even in these characters, and so it was initially somewhat satisfying to have them die. But when I think about it more, it's just more death that seems to really be piling up in this drug game, and as I wrote above this adds to the commentary on the corruptness and problems with this lifestyle and this occupation, this game. We've talked about this before, but Pelecanos through this scene I think wants us to really see and to understand the problem with a lifestyle where killing is the answer to solving problems.
I would argue that Lorenzo is not exactly a good man at the end of the novel, but that he is well on his way to becoming one. While Lorenzo has a past of violence and while there are times where he gives into the temptations he has to fall back into his old lifestyle, which let's make very clear he enjoys and that satisfies him very much, there's no denying that he is trying to change his ways and to move away from his old life. And, Lorenzo has shown signs and it is clear through the Lorenzo we see that he is capable of doing so. So I think that something needs to be said for his efforts, and not only his efforts but the fact that they are not fruitless and that things are looking extremely positive for him in terms of progressing in his life and straightening his life out.
I would argue that Nigel is the best man he can be at the end of the novel. I think that the deaths are inevitable, that if nobody kills Melvin and Rico it is clear that Lorenzo will, and so Nigel takes it upon himself to kill them in order to save Lorenzo from doing it and hence slipping back into his old life that screwed him over in the first place. Nigel comes to the realization at the end of the book that he really has screwed over the lives of many people who had listened to him and followed him, so in the end he does all that he can to prevent it from happening further. While it is still murder, it's murder to save a man whom he cares for deeply, it's simply an act to attempt to correct all the harm he's responsible for. Even though it's not much in terms of correction for all of his previous faults, it's simply the best he can do and for that it makes him a good man at the end of the book in my eyes.
ReplyDelete1. I thought the ending was fairly sad. It was not totally depressing, and I think Lorenzo and Rachel have both grown a lot. However, even Lorenzo seems aware that the neighborhood isn't going to change because of Nigel's death. Young men are still getting into the drug game. Also, Nigel's death was very disturbing to me. I was having mixed feelings about him at the end, but his death was very brutal and disturbing to read. I thought the book had a great ending. In some ways, the familiarity of the last chapter was reassuring. In many ways it was almost the same as the first two chapters. I found this uplifting because it seemed like Rachel and Lorenzo were really settling down, and enjoying having a simple life. At the same time, it brought up the idea of no change in a negative way.
ReplyDelete2. I really hated Rico. His childhood story was sad, and I felt for him reading it, but I still can't get over how cruel and violent he is. That being said, I still wasn't pleased by his death. I would have way rather seen Rico in prison. And his death represents the violent, power-struggle that is the drug game. I liked Lee alright, so I definitely wasn't pleased with his death.
3. I wouldn't call Lorenzo good or bad. He has a very violent side to him, which is bad. But I also think he is very a passionate and caring man. He is trying to get better, but it is a process. In the last chapter he seems to be totally done with the bullshit of the drug game. He is ready, and happy, to settle down. I think the best part about Lorenzo is that he doesn't ignore his past. He doesn't seem to buy that if you get straight everything is forgotten. I like this about him, because it seems like a daily remdiner to stay straight.
4. I think that Nigel committed a sort of emotional suicide at the end of the book. He was tired of the game, and as he told Lorenzo, he felt that he had lost his soul. In a sick way, Nigel was being a hero. He was trying to protect Lorenzo while avenging his boys and Rachel. He was undoubtedly vicious while killing Rico and Miller. But to me it didn't really seem like Nigel doing it. He had totally detached himself by that point. So I think I would say Nigel was good in the end.
1. Much like the Bell Jar, the ending was neither happy nor sad. The surviving characters continue on with their lives, and very little has changed in the grand scheme of things. The message of the book, that hard work pays off (“It works if you work it”), comes together in the ending, but I didn’t like the way that Pelecanos abruptly ended the story. The “bad” guys are all killed or convicted in the span of a few pages, while the “good” guys walked off into the sunset, living on, providing living proof that the “straight” way is the only lasting way to live. It was a very stereotypical ending to this book, but I did like the message that it gives.
ReplyDelete2. While reading the book, I liked Lorenzo and I hated Rico. I initially thought that Rico Miller needed to be “put down like an animal”, comparing him to Lorenzo brings me doubt. Lorenzo’s actions during his time as an enforcer are never described in detail, but we know that he was terribly violent. But, we see him now as a changed and matured man, mostly calm but occasionally unable to control himself and the violent side of his past shows out. We know more about Rico Miller’s actions, and so we can judge him more for that. The murders of DeEric and Michael were because Rico believed that he was doing the right thing for Melvin; the aggression showed by Lorenzo with the dog and Calvin Duke was because he believed he was doing the right thing. Their perceptions of what the “right” thing to do is different, but for all we know, the mature man we see as Lorenzo could have been doing all of these things to people when he was younger. The universal message of “not judging” somebody is brought to a line with Rico, but he might have been able to change, and mature, into somebody like Lorenzo. It is difficult to speculate on whether Rico could have changed, with his internalized hatred, but I think that it is enough to give him a chance.
3. Lorenzo has matured. Instead of focusing on what he has done in the past, we should “focus on today”, and in the words of Rachel, “it’s good today”. He is definitely a changed man by the end of the book, shaped by his experiences and learning from his mistakes as a child. Given time, some “hard” people can change and become like Lorenzo, and that brings back the dilemma of whether or not Rico and Lincoln should have been put down.
4. I liked Nigel, even though I didn’t approve of his actions. He put the welfare of Lorenzo above his own, and that is a quality that can be respected in a real man. Selflessness is noble, and the way he cares for his soldiers, officers, friends, and his mother really makes me think of him as much higher than the average drug dealer.
1.I didn’t find the ending happy or bittersweet at all. I thought it was completely unhopeful. While crimes have been avenged and people are being put in jail, like Zoe says, there are still going to be young boys who see this world as a world they need to be a part of to succeed and be respected, and even though people in this world brutally died, people are still going to glorify the drug game because of the cars, the money, and the power. While there may be some individual success stories of people making an honest living after the game, like Lorenzo, I don’t think that makes any difference at all in this world because everyone is predisposed to believe that the drug world is the only viable option for them to make a living. One person’s quest for a straight existence isn’t going to change anything. It’s a vicious cycle of death and greed based on misunderstanding, and I think it’s just going to continue on and on no matter what.
ReplyDelete2. Rico is a despicable human being, and his actions definitely needed to be punished. Sometimes I like to think that killing someone is an easy way out for the person because I think that having that individual rot in jail having to live with their crimes would be a harsher punishment, but here I think that Rico would never have remorse for his actions. Killing him might have been the only viable option. This brings back the idea that some dogs need to be put down because they can’t exist without being violent or a threat to someone else’s safety. I certainly don’t find pleasure in Rico or Lee’s deaths, but in Rico’s case, it just makes sense to me that he would have to die this way and that his might have been his only possible fate.
3. I think that Lorenzo is a good man because while he has made bad mistakes and is violent, he’s trying to better himself. It would have been so much easier for him to go try to get back in the game and act out on his rage on a daily basis, but he made the active decision to make a difference in his life and put the immense amount of effort into taking the straight path. Yes, he may forget to go by the clinic and do urine samples from time to time, but he’s trying. He’s doing more than the majority of his community would do in a similar situation.
4. Despite the fact that he was trying to sell drug dealing as the American Dream to impressionable, young kids, I think he is a good man at the end of the book. He put his life on the line just so his straight friend wouldn’t have to. He thought of Lorenzo’s recovery before he thought of his own well-being, and while it is a twisted form of it, I think it was a noble sacrifice. I certainly don’t condone his profession and process as something respectful, but I do think he always had somewhat good intentions the way he put his boys before himself and the way he funneled everything he had into things for his mother, in a game where people only think of themselves and their own personal gain.
1. I felt that the end was inconclusive. I mean to say that I understand why this happen as it is very predictable as to what was going to happen. I was a little numb when the events happen but I was surprised at the simplicity of the end. However, I like the way Pelecanos makes us understands that this cycle continues and the world simply moves on. I think that it is definitely is not a happy ending but I do not see it as a completely sad ending. It is sad that the game will not stop due to the dead/imprisonment of the leaders. However, it is good to see that Lorenzo might still have a happy future.
ReplyDelete2. Like I mention before, I was a little numb to their deaths because I knew that it was coming but that does not mean that I think that they deserved to be killed. It is true that Rico did some horrible things (and Lee might have done some in his past) but that does not justify Nigel’s actions. We tend to see the murders of Butler and Green differently from that of Lee and Rico’s murders. I do not feel “satisfy” because I think that killing Lee and Rico is telling younger kids that you can simply get rid of it. I agree that they should be lock up but not killer. Violence promotes more violence.
3. I do not think the is neither a good guy nor a bad guy. He is a bad guy in the sense that he is willing to kill and he might enjoy it. I think he is a good guy in the sense that he wants to change and form a family. He truly loves Lakeisha and his own daughter and cares for his grandma. I think that it is not okay to identify any of these men as good or bad. I think that they are simply human that make mistakes. Some learn some don’t.
4. I think that Nigel tries to redeem himself by helping Lorenzo. He truly loves Lorenzo and that makes him a good guy. However, his methods are questionable and make him a ‘bad’ guy. I think that this is very complicated yet I saw him as a good guy and felt bad when he died. I think it depends on the bond between the reader and the character.
1. I’m not sure if it’s a happy or sad ending. I would say that parts of it felt a little too tied up in a bow for me. I think that in the sense that: Lorenzo didn’t violate probation/parole, Rico died, Lee died, and Rachel survived, and that everyone met up happily at NA. But I think it’s a little sad… well actually, more unfair than sad that Nigel died because of Deacon. It felt like Deacon had backed out on an unspoken contract or promise. However, the attitude in the book sort of conveys the idea of “Life isn’t fair” and that’s just the way it is. Parts of the ending left me satisfied with the book and others left me feeling as if I was ending halfway through.
ReplyDelete2. I almost pitied Rico because of his truly horrible upbringing. The way his mother treats him is exactly how the pit-bull owners train their dogs for violence. It’s as if his fate is written out for him and she just isn’t going to help him because she sees no point in this. Because of this, I feel bad for him dying, but I also felt bad for him living. He was never taught remorse, so he doesn’t live with the heavy sense of guilt I would assume someone who has killed at least two people would feel. However, I think Lee’s death was a bit unnecessary regarding him as a person, yet he was affiliated with Rico, so it made some sense that they were brought down together.
3. I would call him a good man, but that is not ignoring his flaws. He still really is excited by violence and to an extent; he misses the “life”. But prison has changed him a lot and he has come to realize that the “life” isn’t for him anymore. He really is a very responsible ex-con, as shown by the hard work he does to try and get his life back on track. However, as Tanja said, “it will always be a bit of a struggle for Lorenzo to balance the old life and the new life.” It’s true. He will always be deep down, part of the game, but I think he deserves a lot of respect for actively trying to stay clean.
4. Personally, I liked Nigel from what we saw of him, and I’m not sure why. He seemed to be more true to his word and more remorseful about the things he did and the things he forced others to do. He seemed to know of a life outside of the game and the life, yet he could never get to a point where he would be in that outside world. I don’t know if he’s better than any of the other drug lords, but I think for me he’s more relatable, and therefore, a bit more respectable in my opinion.
1. It is a somewhat happy ending. The book has a happy ending for some characters and a sad ending for others. By the end of the book five people were killed. Because of Nigel, Lorenzo got a happy ending. Nigel stopped Lorenzo from joining him to go kill Rico and Melvin. Now Lorenzo can stay on the straight and narrow with Rayne, Lakeisha, and Jasmine. Rachel stops drinking and starts dating Sergeant Peterson. Our heroes are doing just fine, but others are not as lucky. The cycle that is described in the book continues forward and Lorenzo knows that there were be more people to replace the fallen soldiers. Nigel, Michael Butler, Melvin Lee, Rico, and Green are all dead and buried. Butler and Rico were just seventeen years old when they died. These two teenagers had barely seen all that much life before they were murdered. Deacon was okay with Nigel killing Lee and Miller. He literally fired them. There are some high points to the end of the book, but there are also tragedies that are hard to look past to call the ending happy.
ReplyDelete2. I do not agree with Lorenzo's version of justice. Rico was a murderer and awful in so many ways, but this still isn't right. It is hard to say that murdering someone is the right thing to do. Rico is more than a murderer, he is a boy. Rico hadn't even turned 18. He couldn't vote yet. Rico's childhood explains so much about him now. HIs mother didn't care about him and beat him. All Rico wanted was a father figure and companionship. He let all of the hardships in his life take over and lost all meaning to anything. Lee was shot because he was connected to Rico. Rico was so worried about protecting Lee from humiliation and police officers that he got him killed in the end. Miller deserved punishment for his actions, but something about this death rubs me the wrong way. Miller is so young that he needed time to get older. Most of his brain was not fully developed yet. Nigel killed a kid who can be compared to Lorenzo and Michael Butler. We have an idea what Lorenzo was like as a kid and it isn't that far from what Rico is like. Rico is like Lincoln and in this world all they thought they could do was put him down.
3. Lorenzo has grown up a little bit, but he still has a tendency to take the route of violence. When he went to Calvin Duke's house with Nigel, Lorenzo was quick to pull out the fork and burn Duke. He was ready to murder Rico and Melvin in cold blood. If it wasn't for Nigel Lorenzo would be dead or back in jail. Lorenzo has to work on reigning in his temper, but once he can do that I think that he can be a good man. It is obvious that he cares a lot about people and dogs. Lorenzo wants to do good by his daughter and be clean. He was once similar to Rico, but now he is a part of society. Lorenzo will never have an Escalade, but he can make an honest living and be happy with the life he has. To the kids on the street Lorenzo is a loser, but when they are in jail or dead they might rethink that idea.
4. It is hard to not like Nigel. He is a man who cares about his workers and pretends that his business helps people have family and live a happy life. I don't approve of the murders he committed or the other things that he did, but I respect him in a way. He is a good man for the line of work he is in. If he hadn't been down this path, Nigel would be a good man on all standards of the word. Nigel cares about other people and he puts other people before himself. He keeps Lorenzo on the straight and narrow to make up for starting him on the path to drug dealing. He believes that good work can a person to the top and wants the people around him to see that.
1. All I can say decisively about the ending is, "well it could have been worse." Whether or not it is realistic and whether or not it is more positive or negative, there are a lot of positive points to be explored. Lorenzo seems to be doing well and managed not to re-enter the game. Rachel is alive and well and in addition has been sober for three months. It seems that in this particular area there is some chance that drug dealing will decline. Rico Miller is no longer out on the streets, and there are multiple other smaller examples of positive developments. Alternatively the end of the book essentially came down to a bloodbath and the death of three people, all of whom were murdered. So, per usual, I would say it is ridiculous to claim that there was anything that makes this ending positive or negative. It seems that both sides have plenty of supporting evidence.
ReplyDelete2. I don't think Melvin Lee should have died. His death was unnecessary and unfortunate. Melvin Lee offered next to no threat to the lives of others, and ever since his time in prison he seemed to have no desire to violate himself. No, Melvin Lee should not have died, but Rico's story is entirely different. When Lorenzo claimed, "Boy needs to be put down," I realized that I actually agreed with his statement. Even with the realization that Rico Miller is a character in a book I got sufficiently riled up during his moments of coldblooded hate and violence. Even with the knowledge that he had the most horrifying and brutal of childhoods that one could have I have no sympathy for him. I think that the humane and logical reaction to an existence such as Rico's is to put him down. This is a brutal and violent statement, and I understand that, but in my opinion through the way he lived his life I believe he forfeited his right to life. For the sake of others, and as recompense for his actions, he needed to be put down.
3. While I have a slightly different point of view in terms of the book overall, Sohail put my opinion of Lorenzo well. I don't think Lorenzo is good or bad. I think that he handled life better than some and a hell of a lot better than Rico Miller. We see towards the end of the book that Lorenzo still contains some of the violence that he showed before he went to jail, but the fact that he generally keeps this buried, exists as a productive member of society, and in my eyes remains a decent person over all, proves that he is certainly not all bad.
4. This is a pretty hard question for me. My answer would probably be pretty similar to my answer regarding Lorenzo. I do not think that Nigel should have killed Melvin Lee. In fact I kind of liked Melvin Lee, but Nigel did save his friend from returning to the game, and did seem to consider his time dealing drugs as a poor decision. I really have no conclusion to how I feel about Nigel Brown.
1. It was a very surprising ending to me. After the uncontrollable violence the next chapter was very soothing and mirrored earlier in the book. The Christmas spirit was coming on strong and people's lives such as Sarge and Shirley's were taking on a positive coating. The sudden change from brutal violence to a peaceful community was shocking. I think Pelecano forces us to think about how these two very different sides of the same neighborhood live together. That even when all this violence is settling down and things are returning to normal the drug game continues on. The struggle for power is still evident and Pelecano pushes us to think about how the future will change. The ending scared me more than comforted me. The simpleness that returned showed that none of the violence and death made a difference in the community. Everyone just continued with their lives and didn't look back. I was sad to see this and hoped for a better solution to the violence in the future of this community.
ReplyDelete2. Rico needed to die. No question. Though with Melvin Lee I had deeper feeling for him. Even though he was weak and broken by prison Lee was scared. Not only of the police but of Rico at the end. Rico had turned into an animal. He lived for this thrill of running and hiding and killing. He was a true predator and just like tortured dogs could not live in society anymore. He was put down as he should be and no remorse was given to him. Melvin Lee was different. We saw Lee begin to break at the confrontation with Green. Lee was broken in prison and everyone could see it. He was no longer cut out for the game, he couldn't handle the fast paced life and the aggression needed to remain a dominant player in the game. Lee was defenseless and wanted to escape for the game. He really hadn't even made any mistakes, those were all on Rico. Lee just got caught up in the old reckless violence and couldn't take it anymore. Thus I did feel bad for Melvin Lee, but not so much for Rico.
3. In the last chapter we see a side of Lorenzo that was very different from the chapter before. In the end we see Lorenzo in a calm state thinking clearly and walking his dog again. He is not overly excited about the violence and fighting like in the second to last chapter. I think he is going to be fine. Nigel is gone which is very sad but at the same time a turning point for Lorenzo. Nigel was Lorenzo's best childhood friend and I got the sense that Nigel held Lorenzo to the game. It was a tie that neither could break. Both had such deep memories with each other from the past that kept them close. Now Lorenzo can focus on his job and raising a true family with Rayne while not having to worry about getting involved in the drug game anymore. Lorenzo is a good man with a harsh streak in him. One that with a little guidance will become a strong man at anything he sets his mind on.
4. Yes I think he is. Even though Nigel is the head of the drug game he seems to be growing tired of it. He knows what must be done and tries to complete the tasks before him as best as he can. His confrontation with Deacon showed that he is ready to do whatever it takes to protect his own people first. I see Nigel is good because he is constantly thinking of others before himself. Nigel has been in the game a long time and has picked up a large amount of followers. These followers look up to Nigel with respect. Nigel realizes this and can't let them down. I see Nigel as a father figure and even though he is in command of the drug game, Nigel is a human with feelings and soul that create a sense of goodness from this harsh man.
1. I completely agree with Alex. The ending is purposefully ambiguous, which is realistic, and I approve of. The thing that bothered me the most was that Pelecanos stated things so blatantly. It was not a subtle ending, and overall not a very subtle book. I thought that it was a hollywood ending. It reached an obvious climax with the pursuit of Rico Miller and Lee, but once the action was over, it took one chapter alone to do little snap shots of the characters a few months later, and to hammer in all the points made throughout the book, just in case you didn't get it the first time.
ReplyDelete2. I agree that Miller needed to die, or at least be put away for life (arguably a worse punishment). He was already set on killing, it was a mindset that he had already developed and settled into. To me, it seemed very different from Lorenzo's line of work. It seemed to me that Lorenzo killed under orders and not for pleasure, even though he did feel pleasure when doing violence. It was an obsession for Rico to kill. Was I satisfied with his murder? Yes. He died as a result of his reckless and sick behavior and messing with the wrong people. Like Graham, I sympathize more with Lee. Lee was innocent and defenseless. He was not crazy. He was tired. Like Graham said, there wasn't anywhere for Lee to go from this point anyway. It seemed to me that Lee would never be happy because without the game, he was completely empty. Maybe his death was opportune.
3. Pelecanos says it clearly in the last chapter, "It was a city of masks...Smiling faces and sad, and all kinds of faces in between"(281). There is almost never good and bad, right and wrong. We are shades of grey. Lorenzo has a passionate heart, he loves strongly and fights brazenly. He's violent, but also very caring. He is a well rounded, complex character. Trying to define him as "good" or "bad" is impossible.
4. The same answer goes for Nigel, but if I must choose one I would say that Nigel is a good man at the end of the book. He's had enough of the killing. He understands what he's done and sees that Griffin is a young boy too, and I think he knows that he cannot kill another youth. In the end, he's tired and has grown soft. I think that Nigel was looking at the "being straight" in a more positive light and was yearning to join it. He was sick and tired of the game, and he was sick and tired of himself. He did horrible things, but can people be defined by their actions? Something I still don't know how to answer.
1) It was the ending I expected. It isn’t necessarily a sad ending but it certainly isn’t a happy one. This whole novel has been a buildup to this moment. Lorenzo can’t stay out of the game any longer, and the two lead gangs will enter a fight to the death. Pelecanos decides to end this in a very sobering tone, leading us to question the motives of this culture as a whole. Nigel’s death is blunt and shocking. However, it makes Lorenzo wiser and more determined to stay straight. It is a lot like the ending of Bell Jar in that we don’t feel relieved or worried as our narrator heads towards the future.
ReplyDelete2) There was no real satisfaction in either death. I kind of hoped for Nigel to get vengeance and to see them die but the brutality made it hard to savor their vengeance. The violence is overwhelming and powerful and it makes us feel uneasy rather than relieved. I agree that something needs to be done about Rico. He has hurt and killed innocent people and done so without hesitation. Before this chapter I would agree that he needed to be “put down” but as the finality of the violence sinks in we realize there’s more to it then that.
3) He is not a good man, but he is on his way. He has a desire to kill, which no good man truly has. But, I believe that he wants to live a moral life. He has a violent past that may haunt him in the future, but Lorenzo was not born a bad man. I am not worried about Lorenzo’s future. The man who tied him to the drug game is dead and he has no interest in reentering it. He doesn’t feel any need to use narcotics and has become more involved with his job.
4) Yes, he is. Nigel is killing, which is arguably unjustifiable, but he is making a moral decision. From the time we see him walk around the track, to the scene where he makes Lawrence keep Lorenzo in his apartment, we see that Nigel wants the best for those close to him. He regrets getting Lorenzo involved in the first place. But as Nigel walks to Rico Miller’s house, he is acting to preserve a peace and keep those close to him from doing the work that he is ashamed to do.
I didn’t really think of it as either…well I guess to be honest I was sad that Nigel was killed, but I didn’t feel either sad or happy at the end of the book. We see that Lorenzo is doing the same thing he was in the beginning of the book, just trying to keep straight with his “new life.” By the end of the book Rachel has also started trying to get a hold on her own life, but there is no sense of real relief that things have gotten easier. For Lorenzo it might be slightly easier, because he doesn’t have a solid connection back into the game, but it’s going to be tough either way, especially because of the job he holds. Lorenzo finds himself in many situations in which resorting to violence could be very easy, with all the confrontational dog owners he has to deal with, but hopefully all the good things and people in his life right now will give him the motivation he needs to stay on track. As far as the rest of the neighborhood, I don’t see how things are going to change around there unless someone intervenes and kids stop dropping out of school, because otherwise like Lorenzo says there are always going to be new Nigels and Deacons and Millers.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think I’d say satisfied, but I definitely felt some kind of relief knowing that Rico Miller wouldn’t be running around shooting anyone else because it gave him pleasure or a surge of some kind. I think our immediate reaction is “supposed” to be agreement with Lorenzo about that, or maybe it’s even our opinion, but it’s not a lasting solution. Society does not function well when people act that way, dispose of others the way Rico did and the way Deacon authorized, because that is what causes this cycle…as we saw Griff eventually was caught because of the cycle; unrelated events bring dirt back to the surface and then more people are killed.
I think he is a good man. Although at the end he wanted to go avenge Rachel and kill Rico, I felt that it was because he recognized Rico’s reckless soul (that was him when he was younger) and he knew that he could control the situation and put an end to it, but would never know if being thrown in the cut would fix the problem. Y the end of the novel Lorenzo has his ideas straight though; he knows that he plans to keep on supporting Shay, and he seems to be slowly starting a new family with Rayne and Lakeisha. I have faith in his character.
I respect Nigel for finally coming around and realizing the mistakes he’s made, ‘“Shit,” said Nigel softly’ 253. It’s nice to know that it’s not only the ones who survive the cut like Lorenzo that realize what all the bad reasons for playing the game are. I don’t know how to categorize him as either good or bad, because I can’t say that it’s good he went and killed Rico and Lee, but someone did have to stop them.
1. This ending was like the two masks that Nigel talks to Lorenzo about during the last conversation they have together. On the one hand, Lorenzo is definitely straight now, going to the Narcotics Anonymous meetings, Sarge and Shirley have their own success stories to tell, and it is probable that Deacon Taylor will be arrested. On the other hand, Rachel is scarred beyond repair, Nigel and so many others are dead, the drug game continues to be played on a large scale, and we the readers are left with many images that we'd rather not remember. Overall, the small things are good, but the larger image we receive from the novel is not a good one. For me, the novel left my fingers a little red (from the metaphorical blood). Everything "right" that the supposedly criminal yet caring characters stood for is disowned by the events of the book, even by Lorenzo. When the owner of the car lot protests to Lorenzo that he has to follow a code in order to gain the respect of his customers, Lorenzo responds by burning him with a grill fork. Granted, the owner is not the most savory of characters, but what is perhaps is the most telling detail is that he attempts to appropriate a set of moral values for his own benefit, which is a theme throughout the book.
ReplyDelete2. I would not say I was satisfied by the deaths of Miller and Lee, but it didn't disappoint me to see them go, especially Miller. Some of the things that he did to others truly fit the description given to him by Lorenzo, an animal. The way he is sexually aroused by violence, first from the dog fight, and then from stabbing Rachel, removes any pity I might feel for his mistreatment as a child. Lee, once again, failed to rise to the occasion. As before, he proved to be his own end, starting the feud with DeEric and Michael that led to their deaths, and allowing Miller to look up to him and do dirty things in his name for the price of looking up to him as a father figure.
3. Lorenzo certainly has the same violent impulses as Rico Miller, and feels satisfaction from doing violent things, but he knows how to control those impulses. At the end of the novel, Lorenzo goes back to the quiet life he's led since his exit from prison, and shows that he is at least somewhat satisfied with it. Even though some of the most unsettling scenes in the book have had to do with Lorenzo's violent side, I got the feeling that Lorenzo is not going to go back to the life of Nigel and Deacon, and is going to stay straight- consider the permanently sealed space where he used to keep his guns.
4. No- Nigel shows that he knows more about the foundations of the game and why they play it than the other dealers, but he still commits violent acts like they do, having no qualms about taking out Lee and Miller. The one admirable thing that Nigel does throughout the book is recognize the people who are worth keeping out of the game, or at least on the periphery of it (Michael, Lorenzo).
Like all endings, it seems, this doesn't really end. It does reach a place of relative stability. It's kind of the calm after the storm, where the memory of chaos is still in the air, but there is a sense of relief. The mass slaughter of drug slaves is shocking, and hard to process. In a way it feels like there are too many murders for any one of them to stick out. Just another death in the paper on Lorenzo Brown's desk the next morning. Lorenzo Brown's ending is a happy one to a certain extent. He finds contentment and makes peace with his past and present life choices. Im sure there will be more things that come up that will trigger a different set of ordeals, but for now everything appears to be running smoothly. There's hope that Lorenzo will break from the norm and be a good fatherly role model.
ReplyDeleteThe way Lorenzo explains the need for the dog to be put down to Mark is perfect to describe Rico Miller. Pelecanos was so sneaky putting that parallel in there. Rico is a product of a poor parenting situation among other factors. Maybe deep down under all of the creepy armor, Rico is a good guy. He does have good intentions when he tires to avenge his surrogate pop. He just doesn't play by the same rules. There's a limit to the vilence that Rico just doesnt quite understand, and when it gets to the perverse point where he finds pleasure from gore, is the point where Rico goes overboard. Its like when the dog bites Mark. Pelecanos scores some more subtle points on that one. Basically Rico is dangerous beyond help and is a threat to himself and others and in the grander scheme of things, is better off feeding the maggots. Melvin Lee didnt really deserve to die. Lee isn't really worthy of much attention anyways. He's just another soldier on the streets, but it just dehumanizes both him and Rico to leave in such dull fashion. No fireworks, no parade. Wham, bam, thank you ma'am, and its over. Who even cares about Lee?
Age hit Lorenzo like a fastball to the face. As a young'un he was naive, like all of the others around him who all were part of the same deal. He was just a lamb learning his left from right and cant really be held accountable for something he fell into without realizing the consequences. One of his redeeming traits is the fact that his refused to rat out any of his homies. He took the extra years in prison, just so that he could protect his faux fam. He's not a bad guy. All those years in the wrong business doing the wrongs things warped his mind a little. In a way he is like Rico Miller, but Lorenzo is able to get past it and work through his actions and not feel the need to pop a cap into the next guy who walks through the door. Lorenzo actively seeks to better himself as a person and is diligent in his straight life, making his a lot more likeable.
Nigel switched camps a whole ago in his mind. He realized that his line of work is bull and that he isnt what he wanted to be. The fact that he is able to recognize that is admirable. Obviously there was very little to be done or you can do once the system is running and people are relying on Nigel. Just being able to be aware enough to want to fix it makes NIgel a good guy at the end. That regret is the human emotion that people are better able to connect with.
1. The ending is a bit weird for me. I guess it happens with most books that the ending never seems to live up to the excitement or drama you've been reading the whole time. I wouldn't call it a sad ending, but it's not really a happy one either. Lorenzo's life just is what it is. It will always be a struggle but he's content with that right now. He's still learning to cope with what goes on around him and the fact that he's a minority there. He's staying out of the game which is more than most people can say.
ReplyDelete2. Rico has done some terrible things. And in someways I can see the argument for his death and why it can be a positive thing. But as we've talked about so many times in class, these characters and real people all have a story behind them. Rico had a terrible upbringing, which has clearly affected him. He is very animalistic and clearly has a very primal personality in that violence is in a lot of ways his "high," but I'm not sure anyone deserves to be "put down." Lorenzo got lucky that his grandmother brought him up, which is potentially what saved him from being just like Rico. As for Melvin, he just kind of let things happen. He let Rico get out of control which in the end was his demise.
3. I think Lorenzo is a hopeful man. He's not necessarily good yet, as we see with his sporadic and useless acts of violence, but he's trying. We have to respect a man who's trying as hard as Lorenzo is to break all of his old habits, go against all of his friends, and learn an entirely new lifestyle. That's pretty courageous. It would be so easy for him to fall back into it, especially since he was given heroin the minute he stepped out of prison, but he's fighting what comes natural to him as best he can. I think he represents a lot of hope and is on the road to becoming a good man.
4. I think Nigel has his good moments. He recognizes that the game is tiresome and somewhat worthless. He sees that it's too much and that there are people who deserve more than what it has to offer, but he still goes along with it and engages in the cruelest parts of the game- murder. He has the ability to see the faults in what he does, but not the ability to get out of it.
1. To me, the ending was really neither happy nor sad. It’s kind of like how it is with a lot of books we have read. It’s an ambiguous ending which could signal better times or worse times. For me, this feels like an ending that isn’t really an ending. As Lorenzo says, even if Nigel and Deacon are gone, others will rise up to replace them. The NA meetings are still going on, drug use is still rampant. It seems like nothing has changed. And while that is not a sad ending in my opinion, it is said that nothing has changed.
ReplyDelete2. Rico has done terrible things in his life. His own mother called him a creep. From what we hear, he raped his sister. I do think he needs to be put down. Yes, Lorenzo also enjoyed the fighting a little, but I feel that was a little bit more from plain adrenaline. But, Rico needs to be put down. He will easily kill two people, willing to kill a third, and feels absolutely no remorse.
3. Lorenzo is not a good guy. Yet. But, he is getting there. I wouldn’t compare him directly to Rico. Yes, they both enjoyed violence a bit, but I think Lorenzo liked the adrenaline more. And, if he DID like the violence, well, at least it seems like Lorenzo, unlike Rico, has a conscious. He can feel remorse, unlike Rico, who can just go on a killing spree without a second thought, can kill innocents like Rachel without a pang of guilt. Lorenzo is on the path to being a good guy. And his future looks bright.
4. The same goes for Nigel. At the end of the book, maybe he is. Throughout the whole book, well, he has moments. He is one of the few, possibly because of his age, who understands what the game is: a load of bull crap. He knows that the bullshit he and the other dealers tell themselves about family is bull. He knows that this game is tiresome. He feels it every time someone dies. While not necessarily throughout the whole book, I definitely feel that at the end, in his protection of Lorenzo and everything, he is a good guy.
1. I definitely don't think this is a happy ending, but I wasn't surprised this booked ended the way it did. Nothing came out of this ending. If anything, it would only cause more violence and tension and intensity between the two groups. There's no hope. These young men will continue to fight for their pride and manhood in this harsh world. They will continue to fight and defend themselves and make their living through drugs and violence.
ReplyDelete2. I don't ever agree with the death penalty no matter how horrifying a person is and I definitely don't feel "satisfied" with their deaths. I understand that Rico has clearly messed up and has done some horrifying things, but that doesn't make me feel any kind of satisfaction. I don't agree with Lorenzo in that they "need to be put down like dogs". Rico does deserve punishment, but not death.
3. I have hope for Lorenzo. He still is a little erratic with his emotions and his control of his emotions. But he has a pretty clear perspective of himself and the world he's living in. He sees the flaws in himself and the mistakes he's made, but I have hope for him to become the man he's always wanted to be. He has drive and determination. He isn't getting caught up in his past and the drug world. He's trying to move past it with his pride and manhood. I wouldn't consider Lorenzo a good man with a kind heart, but I would consider him strong and courageous. He knows what he wants and he's sticking to his gut and individuality.
4. I do think Nigel is a descent man. He has good morality for himself and the people he truly cares about, like his soldiers and his mother. He sees how screwed up this drug world is, and he sees that this isn't the ultimate American Dream. But he has respect for himself and the people in it. I'm not justifying Nigel's actions in anyway. It's difficult for me to consider a murderer a good man, but I do see his morality and loyality.
I thought the ending of the book gave a somewhat grim description of the people of Washington DC. Pelecanos lists about 8 stereotypical activities that you would imagine poor people are "supposed" to be doing. Nobody really cares about the vicious murders that continue to happen every day in their city, they just watch Miami Vice to distract themselves from the reality that their city is a shit-hole. I suppose that Lorenzo has a happy ending at the end of the novel; he thinks he's done with his bad deeds and has sealed away his guns. However, he already thought that he was done before all of this went down. To me, the ending feels like we've seen all this terrible violence throughout the book, and there're no signs that it is going to cause a change in the community.
ReplyDeleteI felt worse about Melvin's death than I did Rico', but honestly I kind of look at it as they had it coming. Both of them were in the drug game from an early age, and they both had done their fair share of evil things to other people while in the game. I think it is always sad seeing a character die after we have knowledge of where he came from, but they made their beds and now they have to lay in them.
Once again I think it's very hard to see if Lorenzo is either good or bad. Clearly he has done some terrible things, both in his past and recently. However, knowing his story and how he came to be the person he is, it feels really hard to dismiss him as an evil person. I think one of the points that Pelecanos tries to get us to consider is that everyone we interact with also has their own story and their own reasons for their actions. If we didn't know anything about Lorenzo, then this would just be the story of an ex-con who relapses into his old world of gang crime and violence.
I have similar feelings for Nigel as I do for Lorenzo. Pelecanos portrays Nigel in a way that makes even the terrible things that he does seem justified somehow. I think it is interesting that we have a sense that when Lorenzo and he kill Miller and Rico that it is justified. I do feel that Nigel tries to shelter and help other characters throughout the book, however. He really seems to be tired of living the life that he has chosen, and actually warns others away from it. Overall I'd say that I ended the book with a positive image of Nigel.
The only surprising death from at the end was Nigel’s. Besides that the ending was not that surprising but I feel it satisfies some people in the class. I feel that it setttled the story of Lorenzo, Rachel others by showing us their stories after Miller’s death. Rico Miller’s death could be considered sad, but Pelecanos is obviously questioning our morals. We have to decide between feeling that Rico deserves to die because of his evil actions or live. The ending didn’t end the situation, only ended the story of this neighborhood. Things like this will still go on around the world so even though it is optimistic, it is not completely a happy ending.
ReplyDeleteI am still not sure why Lee died, in my opinion he had nothing to do with DeEric and Butler’s deaths and was involved in it because of Miller’s stupid actions. I don’t think he deserved to die but it happened. As for Rico, he may have deserved it but I still think human beings should be able to live. As evil as he was, it is not his fault he became this way and turned into what he is. He does deserve aa big punishment but not death.
Lorenzo has always been a character that I have liked. He changed and I respected him for that. He learned from his mistakes and decided to do good. He returns to his old violent ways which was triggered but still he should have kept his cool. He is not a good man but I consider him decent. This life is and will always be a part of him unless he leaves. Like Nigel’s brother in Charlotte working as a realtor, Lorenzo could leave and fully change and become good. But as long as he stays here he will always fall back into the cycle.
Nigel, like Lorenzo, isn’t good but I also respect him for his “transformation” of realizing this game is not worth it and the wrong path to a good successful life. I find it sad that it ended up killing him in the end. His love for his mom, friendship and care for Lorenzo, and the fact that he took care of his boys made him way better than Deacon and there were times where i forgot he was a top dealer. His actions at the end are gruesome but he was still a decent character.
1) I think that the end of the book is more happy than sad although it is not a traditionally happy ending. The meeting at the end of the book shows a sort of peaceful optimism that we have not seen very much in the rest of the book. I think that the ending is happy simply because everyone seems to have a clean slate. Our two main characters are trying and they both have hope for a successful future.
ReplyDelete2) I find it much harder for me to be okay with Lee's death than Rico's. I do not want to believe that some people can not be cured but I do understand that it wild be bad for Rico to go to jail. I don't know what I think of Rico's death but I don't think that Lee needed to die.
3) I think that Lorenzo is a good person by the end of the novel. I feel that a very important part of being a good person is trying, something that Lorenzo does do. I know that he did not keep himself entirely clean during his probation but he did try to change his ways. I think this book emphasizes the fact that no one is completely good or completely bad, but I believe that Lorenzo is one of the better people.
4) I definitely respect Nigel although I don't know if I would say he is a good person. It is admirable that he killed Rico and Lee on his own as opposed to making one of his men do it and I understand why he chose to kill Lee and Rico. I am not sure about Nigel, but I do believe he is respectable if not a good person.
1. the end of the book is neither happy nor un happy for me, I feel that is it hopeful for some characters, but depressing for some other characters. We see and truly understand that all of these players in this drug game are replaceable, and that even though some are dead and some are going to prison, they are going to be replaced and the cycle will continue. However it is hopeful for some characters like Rachel because we see that she can recover and be a better person. and she can get a handle on her addiction. I wish it was happier, but I think Pelecanos is making us look closer at the ending, and showing us that this is not wrapped up in a nice bow, you just have to look deeper.
ReplyDelete2.I am not okay with either of these deaths. I think both are sad and could have been prevented and should have been prevented. While Rico is gone, his life is still valued and should be taken seriously, and put in prison. Same for Lee, it is not harder to feel worse for Lee because we have not seen as much violence from him. I am saddened by both deaths.
3.I have a hard time saying that Lorenzo is a good person because now along with his past violence and the violence that he has committed and almost committed recently has made me believe that he is a good man. I really want to think that Lorenzo is a good man because I believe he has worked hard to get his redemption and to redeem his prior acts, but he has also done things recently that lead me to believe he is just trying pass parole. I am having trouble believing him, and I do not like him or his actions anymore.
4.I do not like Nigel at the end of the book. Throughout the book before hand I thought that he was a good guy to an extent, I thought of him as a fatherly figure. i wanted him to succeed and make amends and clean himself up, but instead he gave in to the urge to kill and that frightened me. I am not a fan of Nigel by the end of the book because I feel like he gave up and stopped fighting which he should have neer done.