The First Part Last Bobby Analysis

Basketball and baseball are both a great pastime for kids. Not to mention that they are also important symbols in Johnson's novella. Assuming that basketballs and baseballs are commonly associated with children's pastime sports, then them rolling away from Bobby symbolizes his childhood leaving him. This happens while Bobby is sitting down early on in the book, and while Bobby was having a conversation with his brother, Paul, while they were sitting watching Paul's kids playing on a playground. Symbolizing how Bobby matured into a respectable man over the course of the book, are the basketballs and

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

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 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

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.

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.

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.

“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.

“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.

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

In simpler words, Bobby was one of the branches of a tree that was going to lead us into the main point involving Gabriel, the orange tree, and the

THESIS- throughout the novel you can tell Bobby has matured because as they were getting ready to go to the park he remembered to grab feather this time.

Every time that Bobby would walk by Just Frank on the street, Just Frank would ask if Bobby was "being a man" (Johnson 7). A true man would give up his wants to help someone in need. When Just Frank died trying to save a girl in an ally, he was symbolizing a hero. Just Frank could have had a feeling that Bobby's immaturity would lead him down a path where he would end up having to make some tough choices. Just Frank could have been trying to get Bobby to try to mature so that he could be a hero to Feather, his daughter, who was a result of his poor choices. Bobby never really did know what Just Frank meant when he asked him this, but he eventually understood when he finally matured fully into a man. Bobby finally felt like a man when he took on the challenge of raising his daughter alone. After Bobby finalized his decision, he said ,"I think I see Just Frank standing at the end of the hall" (Johnson 126). By quitting his immature actions, and keeping the baby, Bobby finally felt like he was "being a man" (Johnson 126). Having a vision of Just Frank made Bobby realize why he had always asked him that same question over and over again. He realized that Just Frank knew that Bobby would finally have to grow up so that he could be Feather's hero. When Bobby finally grew up and matured, he felt vastly satisfied with

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

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.