Character Clues

Character Analysis

Names

We know that Andy, Robbie (Washington), and Gerald all share names with a president, but why do their names matter? While we can't speak for Robbie or Gerald, when it comes to Andy's name, his father breaks it down pretty clearly when he says:

My father named me Ezekiel Jeremiah Jackson—two strong Bible names—he had great ambitions for me. But that name turned out to be a detriment rather than an asset to me. (37.46)

Andy's dad cared a lot about his name because he knew it would affect the way the world saw him, so he purposely gave him a strong name that everyone's heard of so he doesn't sound different than other people. His dad goes by "E.J." so people will accept him, and his hope is that Andy won't ever have to do so. Remember: Andy's dad is all about blending in, and this investment is reflected in his son's name. It's a sort of twist on the usual way characterization works: Instead of Andy's name telling us something about him, it tells us something about the person who named him

Speech and Dialogue

We get a lot of dialogue in this book. In fact, aside from some poems and essays, it's how we find out most of what we know about the characters. Check out Robbie's conversation with Andy:

Yo, Andy, my main man! I see you been eatin' bull crap for dinner again! You only wish you was as good as me! I, Robert Orlando Washington, will be makin' billions of dollars playin' for the N.B.A.! (2.2)

We might think that's just normal conversation between two buddies—and it is—but it tells us a lot when we consider it within the context of the book as a whole. Compare the above excerpt, for instance, to Andy's teacher's conversation with his dad:

I'm not sure what your course of action should be. You know him better than I do—I only see him once a day for fifty minutes. But surely some parental encouragement on your part would be helpful in reminding him that he's really only hurting himself. (27.4)

Did you notice how different the language is? In the first one, Robbie uses casual phrases and slang, whereas the second one is much more formal. The type of speech a character uses highlights who they are to us, which is helpful since we are often left to figure this out for ourselves. Right away, it makes it clear to readers whether we're dealing with teens or adults.