Chapter 5: Lost

The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore

Theme Tracking

Chapter 5: Lost

Theme 1: People make drastic life decisions at a young age.

1. "Wes and his friend traded shots and finally heard Ray scream as he fell behind a black Toyota just fifty feet from his house." page 105

This quote shows the theme that people make drastic life decisions at a young age. At a young age, Wes makes a drastic life decision when he commits a crime and is therefore arrested. This choice will follow Wes Moore for the rest of his life and send him to prison. As a teenager, Wes made decisions that ruined his life and brought him into a criminal world. Although a person might not mean to make bad decisions,  decisions like this one can create a lasting impact on a person's life. 

2.  "Bad grades, absence from classes, and an incident with a smoke bomb were just some of the reasons he rattles off as my mother sat silently on the couch with the phone to her ear. Her conviction was increasing with every bad report." page 87

This excerpt also showed the theme that people make drastic life decisions by giving another example of a time when Wes made a choice that changed his life, Wes made the choice to do poorly in school, act out in class, and to hang out with people who influenced him to do bad things. This case shows a young person's decision that was a good thing because his poor choices convinced his mother to change her son's environment and to to send him to military school. Sometimes, drastic choices are made, but they don't always need to have negative consequences.  

Theme 2: Absent fathers can impact a child no matter what the circumstances.

3. "All he knew was his mom. He had no idea what his role would be in this new situation - he wasn't even sure he had a role." page 101

     Because Wes had only met his father three times in his whole life, he did not have a real concept of what a father was supposed to be. This troubled Wes because he was soon to be a father and, without a father in his life, he had no one to consult for help or to mimic. This shows the theme of absent fathers impacting a child no matter what the circumstances because it shows how even though Wes's father was still alive, he was in no way apart of Wes's life. Fathers can be absent in many ways, this being an example of one possible way. When a kid is abandoned by their dad, they have no way of understanding what a father might mean to them.

Theme 3: Single mothers experience great hardship to help their children succeed. 

5. "My mother had written to family and friends, asking them to help her however they could. 'I wouldn't ask if I didn't really need it,' she wrote." page 95

     This is a prime example of the struggles of a single mother. Joy Moore's struggles to keep her family financially stable while still dreaming of a better life for her kids. Joy knew that the only way to correct Wes's behavior and send him on a good path was to send him to military school. Unable to pay, Joy Moore resorted to extreme measures to find the money she needed. This depicts a single mother experiencing great hardship but sending her kids on the right path. Even though obstacles like money might get in the way, single mothers still work hard to make sure their children are on the path to success. The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore