Community can be a great thing. It can make you feel safe. It can make you feel welcome. It makes you feel all sorts of good feels and then some.
There are, of course, some downsides, and all of them are on full display in Black Mass.
South Boston is an incredibly insular place, defined both by its Irish-American heritage and its utter hatred for outsiders. Because of this insularity, men like John Connolly and Whitey Bulger are able to dominate the hood, taking advantage of these tight social bonds to exploit the people at the bottom of the ladder. In a truly twisted move, Bulger and Connolly twist South Boston's communal values and turn them against it.
Questions About Community
- What characterizes South Boston as a community? How might it be different than other communities in the surrounding area?
- What is your assessment of the leaders of South Boston as depicted in the book? Do they do right by their constituents?
- How does the community of Southie play into Connolly's relationship with Bulger?
- Why does Bulger come to define South Boston? What does that say about the community?