In Lockdown, Reese knows that, in theory, he has choices—but in reality, it doesn't feel that way. On the street, before his incarceration, it didn't feel like he was making choices; things just sort of happened around him, and he reacted. At Progress, he feels even less in control of his life. He doesn't have control over what he eats or when the lights go out at night, much less the means to take charge of his life. He also frequently gets into fights—not because he wants to, but in spite of his own wishes to behave so he can get out on early release.
Questions About Choices
- Why do you think some characters in the novel (for example, King Kong) seem incapable of making good choices?
- In the epilogue, we learn that Reese has made good choices in the year after his release. Do you think that he will continue to make good choices in the future? Why or why not?
- Why does Mr. Cintron think it's important for Reese to take responsibility for the bad choices he made in the past?
Chew on This
Reese's central journey as a character is about learning to take responsibility for his choices in life.
Lockdown shows how easy it is for one bad choice to lead to another. Fortunately the same goes for good choices.