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Wes exclaims at the beginning of the book he only has two recollections of his father. One being the comfort his father gave after Joy angrily scolds him for punching his little sister Nikki. Joys past traumas have initiated her to raise kids a certain way. Joys use violence to control her kids which contradicts her need to end her own legacy of destruction. Wes's father Westely was a hard working reporter which motivated Wes to live up to his fathers expectation and work hard throughout highs and lows. Unlike the other Wes, Westly left the world with memories of comfort and wisdom, differing the outcome of Wes' life compared to the effects of Bernard.

"He picked me up and, as he sat on the bed, placed me on his lap. As I sat there, all of my anxiety released. I could not have felt safer, more secure."(11)

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In effort to cope with Westely's death, the family moves to the Bronx with Joy's parents.  Joy quickly realizes how the area has deteriorated with the rise of drugs and poverty. Wes is quick to notice the differences between the Bronx and Baltimore while playing at the local basketball court. Here he anylises the court as a place where anyone of any decent can come together, whither your a straight A student or a drug user. Moore understands that where you grow up has a significant impact on your future but how you connect with your peers will have an even bigger outcome.

"I walked past neighbors whose eyes overflowed with desperation and depression, people who had watched their once-proud neighborhood become synonymous with the collapse of the American inner city" (43)

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Joy enrolls Wes in a private school, Riverdale, in order to keep Wes away from the dangers of the Bronx. Moore is starting to feel like an outsider as he doesn't have enough money and prestige to fit in with the wealthy Riverdale kids and his attending of Riverdale set him apart from the friends in his neighborhood. Wes's search for identity is worsened after he tries to conduct a baseball came with both riverdale and neighborhood kids and it  ends in rivalry and fighting. Wes lives a double life and because of this his grades begin to fall. Joy threatens to bring him to military school. This part of Wes' life have substantial effects of the way he intends to portray himself in the future. Wes has had multiple identities due to his changing surrounding which make it hard for him to locate his true self.

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The Bronx have changed Wes's perception of his future. Wes and his friends Shea have decided to "tag" an abandoned building using his new tag name "kk". This decision roots from his want to fit in with the kids in the Bronx after he seems so distant by being a Riverdale kid. The police catch them, Wes is taken back by Shea's cold emotionless response to the polices warnings so he acts in opposition. He fortunately did not get arrested but came very close. This event signifies a learning  point for Wes as he is given a second chance and uses it to his advantage. The apprehensiveness Wes perceives allows him to make smarter choices in the future. This chapter highlights the fact one is an outcome of their surroundings.

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Wes is reluctant towards his first days at military school and like other Wes, has questionable ways to earn respect. Possibly related to his Bronx mentality, Wes revolts against people of higher authority at Riverdale and at Valley Forge. His actions, in return,  have consequences that allow him to grow as a man into maturity.

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Wes has grown significantly through his military ranks. He is now a platoon leader who can demand respect of others. His new rank is a sharp parallel to who he was at the beginning of his time at Valley Forge. Valley forge camp and his leadership provide safety for him, outside of the camp he does not have the same security and because of that he is attacked. This diminishes he sense of protection and soon realizes he must fend for himself as he did in the Bronx. His new sense of identity is linked from the discipline in the military and street smarts back in the Bronx
"I felt like being at military school was keeping me in a bubble, ignorant of what was going on with my people on the outside...This uniform had become a force field that kept the craziness of the world outside from getting too close o me, but i wondered if it was just an illusion." (118)

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Moore is now face to face with reality before he jumps his first parachute jump. His new found sense of identification allows him to have reassurance in himself and his faith. Although afraid, Wes takes the leap and is surprised by the peace it brings. Wes is fulfilled by the self control and responsibilities hes created and this will continue to guide his life course.

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The last part of this book ends with Wes in South Africa. This trip has opened eyes to the true meaning of manhood. Throughout his life, Wes has developed his code of ethics and south African Xhosa passage of young me make him aware that, In America, young men growing into adulthood are meant  to be feared rather than celebrated. However he wishes men at home and himself could have the pride the South Mandela asks his people to forgive in order to let go of past. This lesson allow for Wes to give up on things from his past that burden his own life, like who to blame for the death of his father.