Sadness hangs over many of the characters in Lockdown, including Mr. Hooft and Toon. But since the story is told by Reese, it's his sadness that we're most tuned in to. Over the course of the novel, things go from bad to worse: At first, Reese is understandably bummed about the bad things in his life—he is in jail, after all—but when he's faced with the prospect of doing even more time because of an unjust accusation, he experiences something closer to abject depression.
Also worth noting are the things that don't make Reese sad, like reports from the outside about violent goings-on in his neighborhood. It's not that he's incapable of empathy; he often feels sad for other characters. The problem is he's so desensitized to violence that he can't really bring himself to feel bad when there's another shooting.
Questions About Sadness
- Do you think the other inmates at Progress are as sad as Reese? Explain your answer.
- In what ways does being at Progress exacerbate Reese's sadness? Are there any ways in which is alleviates it? What does this tell you about Reese?
- Why is Mr. Hooft sad? What about Toon? Compare and contrast their sadness.
Chew on This
In Lockdown, sadness motivates Reese to do something positive with his life.
In Lockdown, sadness makes Reese's situation even worse than it would be otherwise.