The Minds of Marginalized Black Men - Character Analysis

Character Analysis

Larry - A 24-year-old male who has never held a full-time job for longer than a month or two. Because he cannot find and hold a job he still lives at home with his parents and siblings.

Devin - A 21-year-old active gang member who is on parole for possession of narcotics. He has been a part of many illicit activities such as selling drugs and theft. Devin has never held any form of a job in his life.

Casey - A 25-year-old ex-convict who just got out of Drug rehabilitation for an that started when he was a teenager. He had a job as a bag boy at a local supermarket but besides that the majority of his income came from hustling and drug dealing.

Lester - Grew up with both parents, and had a plan to excel in his future. Unfortunately his parents were criminals, and once his father was incarcerated he had to stop focusing on school and start focusing on survival. It was then when he resorted to becoming a drug dealer.

Earl - Comes from a family that wasn't familiar with college because nobody was fortunate enough to experience it. He moved to Near West from Mississippi, and was often teased and picked on as an adolescent. Eventually Earl found a sense of security from being an outsider by joining a gang.

Jake - Was one of few to receive his high school diploma. Unfortunately, college was out of the question as his family did not have that finances to help him out. Eventually Jake fell into the easy money making system of drug dealing.

Barry - He stayed away from gangs growing up, and was able to receive his high school diploma, but he got caught up in drug dealing to make quick and easy cash during the summer shortly following his graduation. But he eventually stopped when the police were catching on to him, and drug dealing gangs wanted him dead.

Donald - Worked many different jobs during his adolescent years, but was unable to keep any of them for very long. Eventually his situation where he was desperate for money led him down the path of drug dealing.

Gus - A high school football star that had plans to participate in the army. Unfortunately his addiction to cocaine hurt his athleticism, and got him kicked out of the military. He eventually came back to Near West where he began dealing drugs.

Tito -a survivor of Near West Side who was able to work with a moving company for a short period of time. Eventually he began gangbanging, and was incarcerated.

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