Chapter 4 : Marking Territory ~ 1990

Chapter 4 : Marking Territory ~ 1990 : Theme Tracking

Quote 1: “Dude, I am going to ask you one more time. Where did you get the money from?”
Summary of Events Leading to Quote 1: Wes Moore #2's brother has just returned home and has noticed a significant change in his room and belongings.
Analysis of Quote 1:From this above quote it is shown that Wes's brother knows that Wes has been committing crimes in order to purchase these things, thus giving a theme of crime specifically drug dealing.

Quote 2: “She’d asked Wes about the shoes when they started to multiply, but after her first inquisition, she’d left the subject alone.”
Summary of Events Leading to Quote 2: At this point the narrator is telling the reader of Wes Moore #2'smother and how she questioned him about the "leaning tower" of shoes in Wes's room.
Analysis of Quote 2: The above quote shows a theme of single mothers, by the way that it says that she had questioned him and then left the subject alone. This shows that she felt that his answer was enough and thought that she wouldn't need to analyze it anymore, and then needed to do other things that her family were dependent on.

Quote 3: “Tony had now spent over a decade dealing drugs and knew how much money could be made in the game.”
Summary of Events Leading to Quote 3: At this point in the text the narrator has explained Tony's, Wes Moore #2's older brothers experience with making money with drugs.
Analysis of Quote 3: This quote shows a theme of crime, by the way that the narrator examines Tony's experiences with crime and how he knows how Wes is purchasing all these extravagant products.

Quote 4: “Mary knew her younger son was no innocent. In addition to the knife fight when he was younger, Wes had been arrested a few years back after being caught stealing a car.”
Summary of Events Leading to Quote 4: At this point in the text there has just been a fight between Tony and Wes, and there mother has just overheard the situation.
Analysis of Quote 4:This quote expresses another theme of life choices, through this Wes feeling that me would never amount to anything great, and with the lack of a fatherly figure to guide him, he resulted to a life of crime feeling that it would be the only way that he could and or would ever provide for himself.

Quote 5:“Well, your grades obviously aren’t bad because you can’t pick this stuff up or because you are stupid, you are just not working hard enough,” my mother said, her voice rising into the epiphany.”
Summary of Events Leading to Quote 5: Wes Moore, the author has just explained to the readers his experiences in school.
Analysis of Quote 5: This quote exemplifies a theme of overcoming obstacles. Unlike any other it attempts to shows that a person can do what they put their mind to no matter what type of obstacles stand in their way.