In Chapter Five, Bad Boy, Walter Myers explained that he became fascinated with baseball and baseball players. Walter had said that many street games were played outside on 122nd Street. He also said that his biological father, George Myers, had entered his life. Back in Chapter One, Roots, it said that his biological father had been divorced by his biological mother, Florence Dean. According to Walter, there had never been official paperwork to make his adoption legal.
In chapter 5 of Bad Boy, Walter talks about baseball, meeting his dad and his brothers. In the summer of 1947 Walter was excited that they let Jackie Robinson and Larry Dobby into Major League Baseball. Walter would gather all of his neighborhood friends to watch baseball with him. Soon Walter’s biological father moved to Harlem, because his wife had family there. Walter never considered his biological father his dad because he never acted like it.
Boy, but I have read much more intriguing works of literature that raise my standards of the books I read. But, while this book may not be my favorite, there are still parts that are interesting and fun to read. Towards the beginning of Bad Boy, Walter, the main character, acts
This would be understandable if he had done this once, but it sees as if this has happened a lot in the past. Maybe the reason Walter is a “bad boy” is because the punishment isn’t good for Walter. This is because it says, “I liked to go to the principal’s office” (18) which makes it look like Walter likes going to the principal. In fact, the teachers might actually be rewarding Walter for his actions. At my school if a student did something
Walter is a young adolescent, merely fourteen years old who is left stranded at the home of his two uncles in Texas, quite literally in the middle of nowhere. Viewers' first impression of Walter is that he is actually a very timid and hesitant character unsure of the situation he has been put in. Walter has undergone hurt and hardships from his past just like his mother Mae. The difference between the two is that Walter has not allowed these moments to define and eat relentlessly away at him. He has not accepted his past to be normal, or justified things that should not be justified.
But as he got older he noticed that he can't because of his skin color. As Walter got older he noticed more racism to when he was little. He did not know
In the beginning Walter is basically perceived as a jerk-he doesn’t seem to get along with anyone, not even his own family. His character likes to turn discussions into fights, make rude comments to his wife, and act all around immature. A part that accurately shows the way Walter conducts himself is when he is arguing with Ruth and says “Man say: I got to change my life , I'm choking to death, baby! And his woman say- Your eggs is getting cold!”
The settings Walter uses, especially the dirty dark city, doesn’t allow the protagonist, Ian Blackburn, to think differently and encourages Ian to judge the people based on their environment.
Bad Boy: A Memoir by Walter Dean Myers is about family, isolation, and racism. Walter’s family is a big part of his life when he was younger. Walter has a big dent in his life when he becomes isolated. Racism plays a big part in his life.
Racism plays a big part in the book, this makes him act differently. When Walter was young he tried hanging a young black kid with older kids. Growing up in life, Walter starts seeing whites has a better chance of succeeding in life then blacks do. Back then most southern schools only accepted whites, all blacks, must apply for a “negro” school.
Racism is a big factor in his young and old life. Other kids told Walter that he can beat up jewish kids. They said he could hang other kids. When he was older he couldn’t go to parties that his friends were invited to. He would realize that if he was black he couldn’t go to many parties.
The play explores race, race relations, racism, discrimination, hate crimes, racial slurs, and racial tension in urban America. The play includes black, white, and Hispanic characters and the director used set and costume choices to give clear information about the differences in the social and economic status of those characters. The character of Walter is seen in his run down apartment almost exclusively wearing a tank top, pajama pants, and a bathrobe. Another black character is seen wearing a hat, baggy shorts, and a tank top to show his many tattoos. Walter’s son wears nice shirts but they are very loose fitting to match his baggy pants and he also wears a hat.
It won’t let him get a good job or house, be able to have a car, or allow him to live the way he wants to live. Because of all these stressors, it forces Walter to make a risky business decision that costs him most of his father’s life insurance money. Racism caused Walter to risk every dollar he owned and he lost it all. Later, he almost lost his own dignity by pleading with Mr. Lindner for his money back, but Mama saved him from doing it. Walter and the Youngers decided to move to Clybourne Park to live Walter’s dream of trying to live with the same privileges of white people.
Walter further shows his false pride when he flaunts his newfound sense of power when Mr.Lindner, one of the Younger’s soon-to-be neighbors, offers him an unjust deal. Now that Walter has control over the family 's money, he considers himself the head of the family and decision maker; this plays an important role towards how Walter treats others now that he holds himself to a higher standard. This theme applies to Walter when the chairman of the “welcoming committee” (115) named Mr.Lindner pays a visit to the family a couple weeks before they 're supposed to move into their new home in Clybourne Park. During this visit, Mr.Lindner makes the offer of the Clybourne Park community “buy[ing] the house from [them] at a financial gain to [the] family” (118). Mr.Lindner’s offer represents the racial oppression and how the white community looks down upon and doesn’t want African american people dirtying their communities.
Walter often storms off after an argument or a conversation that did not go this way, and it is in this time that he hurts the most over the family’s financial situation and over the way that nobody else understands his position and his reasoning behind his actions. The segregation during the 1950s
