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How Is The Last Spin Becoming An Individual In An Unlikely Culture

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Caroline Hinrichs Mr. Guastella English Honors 3 December 2014 “The Last Spin”: Becoming An Individual in an Oppressive Culture “The Last Spin” is a realistic and touching story about 2 boys involved in gangs in new York and how they develop an unlikely friendship under dangerous circumstances. Tigo and Dave are two young teens involved in opposing gangs, or “clubs.” Each of them is sent to a basement room one night to settle a dispute between their clubs. They are instructed to play a morbid game- put one bullet in a 6-cylinder gun, spin the barrel, and shoot at themselves, not knowing if the gun will fire a bullet or not. As the game continues and they up the odds by putting more and more bullets in the gun, they find they have more in common …show more content…

As they get to know each other better over the course of “The Last Spin” the characters Tigo and Dave admit to each other that they feel out of place in their respective clubs, something they each haven’t felt comfortable sharing before. When Dave asks Tigo “You like the guys on your club?”(Hunter 8) Tigo responds that “None of them really send me, but that’s the club on my block, so what’re you gonna do, huh?”(8) Tigo admits that he doesn’t really enjoy being in the club, or like the people in it, but he feels like he can’t do anything about it. It is implied that not taking part in the club isn’t even an option for him, and he can’t make his own choice about how he wants to live his life. Tigo feels that he can’t be an individual and be part of a culture at the same time. Being part of a gang, even if you feel you can’t be yourself in it, seems inescapable to Tigo and …show more content…

As Tigo and Dave talk more, they realize that they have a lot in common and decide to defy their clubs, stop the gun game, and make plans to hang out later, despite the fact that they are supposed to be enemies. “‘Screw the clubs!’ Tigo said vehemently. ‘Can’t we pick our own….friends?’” (Hunter 12) Tigo complains to Dave: “ Don’t you wonder what you’re doing stomping some guy in the street? ...Like-who’s the guy to you? What you got to beat him up for?”(9) He realizes that his morals are different than those of his club, and he doesn’t really believe in what the club does. When the boy make plans to “..go to the lake this Sunday?”(12) they decide to become friends even if it means defying their gangs. The main characters realize how they as individuals are different from those around them, and act accordingly. The choices that Tigo and Dave make as they decide what is most important to them shows that being an individual means following you own path, even when it conflicts with your

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