How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
JERRY
I bet you'd be a cool superhero. You know who you should be?STEVE
Who?JERRY
Batman. Then I could be Robin. (4.67-69)
Awww… Jerry loves his older brother, and clearly looks up to him.
Quote #2
As I got dressed, I felt sick to my stomach. Mama leaves clean shirts and underwear for me. I thought of her in the kitchen, ironing the shirts. I think about myself so much, about what's going to happen to me and all, that I don't think about my folks that much. (7.6)
Do you think Steve doesn't think of his parents much out selfishness or as a survival tactic? It seems like it just might be too painful to think about them, and like missing home would make toughing out jail all that much harder.
Quote #3
I know [my mama] loves me, but I wonder what she's thinking. (7.6)
Poor Steve—he's so confused about himself that he can't help but assume other people are confused about him too. If only we could crack open everyone's brains and see their thoughts. Wait, maybe not—that could get awkward really fast.
Quote #4
When you were first born, I would lie up in bed thinking about scenes of your life. You playing football. You going off to college. I used to think of you going to Morehouse and doing the same things I did when I was there. I never made the football team, but I thought—I dreamed you would. (8.82)
This sounds like any good dad's dream for his son—following in his footsteps and then surpassing them. Who doesn't want that? Steve's dad seems so sad to see his dreams dashed for his son.
Quote #5
MS: STEVE and MR. HARMON. An incredibly difficult moment passes between them. STEVE searches his father's face, looking for the reassurance he has always seen there. (8.83)
Steve's dad has always provided a rock for Steve to lean on. He's a dad—that's his job, right? But now everything is shifting. Sure, in Steve's case this is because of his arrest and subsequent trial, but learning to move forward without your parents reassuring you is also part of growing up for everyone.
Quote #6
What was going on between us, me being his son and him being my dad, is pushed down and something else is moving up in its place. It's like a man looking down to see his son and seeing a monster instead. (9.1)
Is this really happening, or is it merely Steve's version of the truth? It seems possible that Steve is projecting his own insecurities onto his dad.
Quote #7
You're not just snatching my son off like he's some kind of criminal. Wait till I get my coat. Just wait a minute! Just wait a minute! (10.48)
The cruelest part of this quote is that they didn't wait a minute. Not only did the detectives speed off without Steve's mom, they threw him into an adult prison when he was only sixteen. It's like they wanted to cut him off from anyone with any compassion for him… especially his mom.
Quote #8
All you had to see were the tears running down her face and the whole story was there. I wanted to show strong for her, to let her know that she didn't have to cry for me. (13.25)
Steve still tries to be a good son and feels protective of his mama.
Quote #9
"No matter what anybody says, I know you're innocent, and I love you very much." (13.33)
Here's a mother's love for ya: That's her baby, and she's not about to doubt him… even if he doubts himself. Moms rule.
Quote #10
I wish Jerry were here. Not in jail, but somehow with me. What would I say to him? Think about all the tomorrows of your life. Yes, that's what I would say. Think about all the tomorrows of your life. (17.9)
If only Steve had had an older brother to tell him that. Or at least a friend to look up to. Steve can only play Robin to thugs, though—he doesn't have a Batman to cling to, which makes Jerry the luckiest one there.