Deshawn Downfall

DeShawn’s Downfall
Have you ever been stuck somewhere and couldn’t change anything about it? Or forced to choose between two bad things? Sometimes life is unfair and from the beginning a person can be placed in an environment where they haven’t even been given a chance. In the play, “Mr. Joy,” by David Beaty, this is exactly what happens to DeShawn, a young black boy growing up in Harlem. DeShawn is forced to confront the violence in his community, putting him under immense pressure and ultimately affecting those around him in ways he never saw coming. In the play DeShawn is faced with gangs and violence in his community. Growing up in Harlem with his experiences forced Deshawn to believe he needed to join the problem because it was an obstacle he couldn’t overcome. Joining a gang had an impact on Deshawn, his family and his community. He transforms into someone he is not and ends up hopelessly sucked into the toxic environment around him.
In the beginning DeShawn is introduced as a upbeat young boy who

DeShawn is on his own after witnessing his friend die. He can’t trust anyone around him. By choosing the gang life he changes into a boy he is not. He goes to rob Mr. Joy as a part of his initiation. DeShawn says, “For my initiation they tell me I have to rob somebody. I ain’t never committed a crime in my life, but I can’t come across as soft, that’s death in the belly of the Beast, then I’m like yo’, I should rob Mr. Joy’s shop...And I panic and I grab the nearest thing I can see- I grab this heel with a sharp spike and I start beating him with it, And I can’t stop, I don’t want to stop (Beaty 40-41).” DeShawn never wanted to become something bad, he never wanted to hurt anyone. DeShawn had joined the gang in hopes of helping protect his loved ones but once he took the first step into the toxic environment outside, DeShawn fell off the