Chapter 6: Hunted

Chapter 6: Hunted

Theme 1: Crime

Theme Statement: Crime is hard to avoid when that's all you've grown up with. 

Quote 1: "Most of all, Woody thought about Wes, who had stopped going to school two years earlier."

Analysis: This quote is important because it describes the effects that crime has on the people around you and how harmful crime is to a persons life. Wes served time for shooting Ray and therefore did not graduate high school. Now, Wes has to support his family with a criminal record and no high school diploma all because of one emotional impulse to pull the trigger. Now both his friends and family alike will worry about him and wonder how he will support his family after nearly ruining his potential of leaving his current lifestyle; His mother's ultimate goal for Wes. 

Quote 2: "But for some reason, he couldn't let the sale go."

Analysis: This quote is important because it shows how hard crime is to avoid when it is all you know. When Wes was offered a sale from a guy he sensed was an undercover cop, he initially said no but then thought above the measly 20 dollars he would gain but really he was wanting to feel the quick rush you feel after a sale. Wes has only known crime as his lifestyle so one little drug sale seems perfectly okay and normal to him but this sale will one to remember after he gets caught.

Theme 2: Coming of Age

Theme Statement: One learns comes of age by maturing and learning his responsibilities in life. 

Quote 3: "Years earlier, I had run through these same woods with all of my might, looking for safety, trying to get away from campus. Tonight, I ran through the same woods looking for safety, but in the other direction" 

Analysis:

This quote is important because it shows Wes' progression from young rebel to a respected sergeant at Valley Forge. This quote is also very ironic because it represents his maturity and growth at Valley Forge. He no longer is going home to his mother for safety but back to his school, the place he now loves for giving him the push he needed to leave the slums. 

Quote 4: "I was telling him about receiving the recruiting letters from colleges, talking about how I knew I could make it to the pros."

Analysis: This quote is important not because of what Wes is saying to his uncle but why he is saying it. It shows that he is no longer thinking about his burdens, the drugs, or the many challenges he used to run into while living in the slums. Now he is thinking about his future in a very positive way which will effect his life in a drastic way. 

Quote 5: "But I had to let this one go. I had to look at the bigger picture. My assailant was unknown, unnamed, and in a car." 

Analysis:

This quote is important because it shows Wes' maturity and restraint learned from military school. The old Wes would have lost his chill and gone after the men and would have lost control and could have even ended up in jail. This is also a very distinguishable feature that separates the Wes' now.