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Rocket Boys By Homer Hickam Jr.

802 Words4 Pages

Rocket Boys is a memoir by Homer Hickam Jr. (Sonny), and it’s about his journey to become a rocket engineer for NASA, and how he fought against the norms his town of Coalwood had. He fights the discouragement of his dad and cycles through many different types of motivations. The main theme of this book, Rockets, is the perfect theme for Rocket Boys for many different reasons. Rockets are a perfect theme for Rocket Boys because they are a symbol of aspiration and escape, they act as the embodiment of learning and innovation, and they represent community transformation. Rockets in Rocket Boys symbolize many things, but especially the aspiration of the main characters, Sonny and his rocket launching agency (the BCMA), and their escape from the norms of the town of Coalwood. …show more content…

Rockets also act as the embodiment of learning and innovation within the BCMA. Part of learning is failing and making mistakes, and Sonny and the BCMA aren’t afraid to make mistakes with their rockets. In fact, they embrace it. While designing their first rocket, they realize that it’s not going to go up extremely high, but it will be the start of their journey, so “[Sonny] named it Auk I, after the great auk, an extinct bird that couldn’t fly,” (Hickam Jr. 88). Sonny and the BCMA knew that this model wouldn’t do as well as other models, and that their newer models would be superior, so they named it Auk I, instead of just Auk. He knows he will learn and do better with his rockets, so there will be an Auk II, Auk III, etc. Every rocket is better than the one before it. This shows how rockets in Rocket Boys embody learning and innovation. Finally, rockets in Rocket Boys represent transformations for the entire community of Coalwood. Since the beginning of Rocket Boys, Coalwood has been confined to strict norms and stereotypes between genders. It was expected that every boy in Coalwood played football

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Sonny felt limited by what Coalwood had to offer to him, and wanted to venture out of the dull town. Along with the town, Sonny’s father thought they were wasting their time with their rockets. At first, Sonny could not see himself going anywhere past Coalwood in the future. But after, Sonny sees the people’s future lives in Coalwood and negative comments, this motivated him to do greater and better things, rather than working in a mine for the rest of his life. Because of Sonny’s relationship with the town and most the people saying he and his friends could not build rockets, Sonny strived to prove their point wrong by making rockets.

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