The First Part Last Bobby Analysis

The Basketball is an interesting symbol in the book. It (along with the gameboy) were the things that Bobby held dearest to him when he was a younger boy. At that age, he relied on those things (and his mother especially) completely. As he got older, and had feather, those things began to slip away. But that one day that Bobby accidentally leaves feather behind to go play basketball with his friends, he comes back in a

“But I figure if the world were really right, humans would live life backward and do the first part last. They’d be all knowing in the beginning and innocent in the end” (Johnson 4). Angela Johnson is the author of The First Part Last. Throughout the novel, Johnson shows us how Bobby goes through struggles in life and how he changes. Bobby just turned 16, he lives in New York City, and he get his girlfriend, Nia, pregnant. His parents are Mary and Frank. Feather is Bobby and Nia’s daughter who looks just like Nia. Bobby takes on the responsibility of caring for and nurturing Feather on his own. He wants to come of age and become a man based on evidence from the novel and symbols that are mentioned in it. The symbols to support this are, the basketball, balloon, arcade, and Just Frank. These symbols not only support that Bobby wanted to come of age and become a man, but he did.

It is hard to analyze Bobby as a character by using one theoretical perspective but I am confident that Lenore Walker’s “Cycle of Violence Theory” (Barnett, Miller-Perrin, and Perrin 315) best describes Bobby’s behaviors as a classic batterer. As defined, the theory has three phase’s, the first phase is “Tension Building”, minor incidents of violence, along with the build-up of anger, verbal put-downs, jealousy, threats, and breaking things. This phase could describe the initial escalation by Bobby to start intimidating Fran prior to their marriage. The second phase is the “Battering Phase”, where major violent outbursts occur like Bobby breaking Fran’s collarbone and nose. The last phase is the “Honeymoon Phase” where the perpetrator is remorseful and loving. There were times where this would apply, but Bobby was not consistently loving after he beat Fran, rather he would often attempt to downplay the intensity and effects or even blame Fran for causing the incident while downplaying his violence, and in some cases denying that it took place, as with the initial instance where Bobby explained that he “just came at you a lil”.

Bobby, a young troubled man, Was raised by his father, a professional con artist after the death of his mother. From a very young age Bobby was exposed to the criminal acts of his father and was taught to lead the same path. When he turns seventeen years old, Bobby meets and falls in love with a girl called Gwen. She gives him a sense of identity and belonging he missed his entire life. During the same time he learns

I know this because when Bobby makes his trip down to the basketball court, he has his basketball with him. This represents Bobby beginning his coming of age process with Feather. The basketball represents Feather because the ball is with Bobby along Bobby's trip to the basketball court. The trip represents Bobby coming of age with Feather by his side. When Bobby makes it back safely in his apartment, that symbolizes when Bobby is in Heaven, Ohio with Feather, and then at that point he sets down the ball to roll away.

Bobby does not want to do the same thing because," Things have to change. "(Johnson 4) Bobby now has a responsibility he needs to take care of, which is his little baby girl. He lets go of the past and wants to make his and Feathers life the best

The basketball represents or symbolizes childhood in this novel. The basketball represents childhood because it shows how or what bobby used to do when he was a not a parent and had innocents he played basketball. This also shows us as bobby forgets about feather and runs back to her, sits the ball down and it rolls away it shows how his innocents are rolling away and how he is now a parent and needs to take care of feather. As or when bobby sees his brother nick he throws the ball back at him it shows him getting his childhood back and the

Bobby's best friends are K-boy and J.L, and he was going to go to the park to play basketball with them. On his way down the steps he remembers Feather. He now has to walk back to the apartment and tend to feathers needs. He sets the ball down and it rolls away from him and into the hallway. When the ball rolls away it is representing Bobby's old life or childhood. His fun is rolling away from him and he is stuck with life. Now instead of having a good time with his friends, he has to take care of

“I love coming of age stories that have struggle…” says actor Aaron Paul. The First Part Last is a novel that provides a prime example of someone’s struggle to come of age. In this book, Bobby and Nia have a baby named Feather. Bobby cares for Feather and Feather depends of Bobby. Bobby sometimes struggles with having to care for Feather because he feels like everything is changing, when in reality it is just him that is changing. Bobby and Feather live with Bobby’s mom, Mary, in New York. Bobby has changed since having Feather, but the question is, has he come of age? Throughout the book, Bobby changed and developed through challenges he faced. Bobby came of age throughout the course of the novel as symbolized by coffee, Just Frank and his corner, and the commercial jingles.

the basketball in the story symbolises childhood, and it shows bobby coming of age. bobby left the baby home by accident. playing basketball with his friends K.boy and J.L he realises his mistake, so he must stop his fun and rush home. he sees his baby safe still so he lays his basketball down to comfort his baby feather. meanwhile the basket ball “rolls out the door into the hall toward Mary's room”(23), representing Bobby's childhood has to leave and mary can now act like one because her son is growing up.

Bobby’s childhood, the basketball, rolled away. It left, leaving Bobby with only responsibility and hardship. If Bobby’s childhood left, then would there not only be the older ages. This shows Bobby has come of age by the end of the book.

A symbol that is shown is the symbol of the arcade, and children playing games. Bobby will see these children, or talk of what his friends are doing in the arcade; furthermore, it shows that Bobby wants to be a kid again. A symbol that is also shown is the symbol of the bubblegum. The bubblegum found on page 108 shows that he feels the temptation to leave Feather behind, and to just have his life be easy and simple. These symbols all show his longing to be a kid again, but he doesn’t follow these promptings. Bobby always seems to only glance at these symbols, but not put them to action. He doesn’t want to leave Feather all alone, even if it is hard. Another thing that Bobby does throughout the book is he censors himself. Instead of speaking out loud, he stops himself. On page forty-two, Bobby thinks to himself while the teacher is talking, and doesn’t try to contradict what the teacher is saying. He tries his hardest to just listen and keep the situation from getting worse. Throughout the book, Bobby says that he sometimes wants to be like Feather. He even acts like he is Feather’s brother on page 82 saying, “Yeah, she’s easy to deal with, my sister,” in order to get out of the responsibility of being a parent, yet he still has to take care of Feather at the end of the day. “This must be what made my mom’s eyes narrow and nasty words come out of her mouth. This must be what helped give my dad an ulcer and that look on his face that says-what next (Page 33)?” Bobby is able to realize that what he has done has changed the lives of his parents, and it has made the situation harder for his family overall. He feels bad, saying, “I feel worse because I’m taking my dad’s smile and probably some more things he’ll never talk about (Page 74),” and he sees that he might have taken his dad’s smile away. He feels guilty, and therefore decides that he will do as much as he can without his parent’s help. This

First i'll be talking about what the basketball really means in the First Part Last. This basketball symbolizes childhood. Of course it can be something else but it's the way how the author had used the basketball in the book that makes it a symbolism of childhood. It's used to tell the readers that the character Bobby is finally Maturing since he is becoming a father.It's getting to him that he can't be a kid anymore because now he has to be the grown up. It's hard for him but it wasn't anyone's else choice it was his and Nias.

Bobby came of age. Throughout the book we start to learn more about him as an individual and his back story. Bobby started out immature, and a little angered. Him and Nia conceded which gave them the struggle of to adopt or not to adopt. Over time we learn Nia in present day is not in the picture, and in the past is with check ups, and birth. Bobby had to mature for Feather, which is why he came of age. He started to choose Feather over his childhood, causing him to grow up.

He begins to feel jealous of anyone who gets to spend time with Lynne, going so far as to slash the tires of one of her professors while she is in class. Bobby describes his relationship with Lynne as a Lynne being in a locked glass room, and Lynne has the only key. Bobby is trying to make contact with her and she can see him but cannot hear him, so she chooses to ignore him altogether. This disconnect in his relationship is Bobby’s dystopia. Throughout the entire story, he tries to get his relationship back with Lynne, but the relationships is broken and there is nothing he can do to fix it, and he realizes this toward the end of the story.