The Other Wes Moore Character Analysis

The Other Wes Moore is an autobiography by Wes Moore: who stumbled upon another man with a name that was a carbon copy of his. Curious, Wes Moore decided to research this man’s past only to find out that they had grown in similar neighborhoods and with identical backgrounds (both lacking a father figure). Except, their fates were entirely different and in each story a turning point occurred that ushered greatness for one but desolation for the other.

This exposed him to violence, drugs and poverty, “Cherry Hill became a breeding ground for poverty, drugs, and despair” (p.29). Wes was exposed to drugs at a young

Wes Moore could’ve easily had the Other Wes Moores life by the littlest changes both of their lives could have been very different in many different ways. “The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his.” This is true because their choices are what led them to where they ended up at in the end, one ended up very successful and the other Wes Moore ended up in prison.

In the book, The Other Wes Moore it is difficult to believe the great similarities in the lives of the two Moores, who share a name and other aspects of life. The two were raised fatherless and were born in the late 1970’s in the neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. They also happen to have encountered similar experiences when growing up, but at one point one of them became a criminal and the other a scholar (the author of the book). The author of the book seems to be interested in the similarities of the two boys as opposed to their different experiences. The story is interesting and makes one imagine what would have become of the writer if he did not by any chance come across the people who guided him to become what

The other Wes Moore is also considered to be deviant by his poor decision-making and careless choices. He dropped out of school, sold drugs, participated in a robbery of a jewelry store, and was a convicted murderer with a life sentence. There was many sociological factors that led to the other Wes Moore’s deviant behavior; the absence of his father being an important factor. Although both the author Wes Moore and the other Wes Moore grew up without a father, it affected the other Wes Moore a little more considering the fact that his father chose not to be in his life. Also, Tony had a big impact on the decision he made for himself. Throughout the story, Wes would remember what Tony told him about demanding respect. “Send a message,” And Wes would do as Tony said. The problem with the other Wes Moore was that he lacked positive influences in his life and he had no motivation to live a better life until it was too late.

Wes’s decision to leave school for an easier life of street dealing guided him down a path of misfortunes. The first of many came with his violent outburst to defend his pride. After a woman in relations with Wes Moore sees her boyfriend show up to his house, he angrily punches Wes in the face. In shock, Moore “could only see red. He was blind with rage. Instincts kicked in. Tony’s words rang through his mind. Send a message” (104). Proceeding the attack, he grabbed a gun out of his drawer and shot the man to prove a point that you do not mess with him. He was incarcerated for six months. To no surprise, what occured later in his life was the infamous shooting of a police officer in the midst of a robbery. This landed Wes Moore in a life sentence for murder. It all started with drug dealing and ended in indefinite incarceration for murder.

Through Wes Moore’s The Other Wes Moore, the author tells the story of himself and another man with the same name and a strikingly similar upbringing. In chapter 6 it is revealed that the parental and authority figures in both their lives greatly affected and shaped who they became. By comparing and contrasting the tough choices they made, complications they face at home and at school, and their new authoritative positions, the author uses the two Wes Moore’s lives in Chapter 6 to appeal to pathos, allowing the reader to feel a connection with each character and develop an understanding of both Moore’s accomplishments and hardships.

While Wes Moore was able to change his situation and begin to make better decisions, the other Wes Moore was never able to accomplish such task. During one of their conversations, the incarcerated Wes said, "From everything you told me, both of us did some pretty wrong stuff when we were younger. And both of us had second chances. But if the situation or the context where you make the decisions don't change, then second chances don't mean much, huh?" (66). In the same conversation, about ¼ of the way into the book Moore realized an important aspect in life, "I sat back, allowing Wes's words to sink in. Then I responded, 'I guess it's hard sometimes to distinguish between second chances and last chances.'" (Moore 67).

The Other Wes Moore is an autobiographical novel that is told from the heart of author, Wes Moore, while showing an illustrative purpose. One section of his book, in the epilogue, shows Moore diving into a more personal note on the roller coaster of a life he has lived, thus far. He uses his tone and diction to reflect on how the environment people grow up in can influence the ways they act and to explain that the people closest to you can change the opportunities you may have later in life, while using imagery and parallelism to show that no matter who you are or what background you come from, it can’t restrict or confine you from doing extraordinary things.

When they were both teenagers, they did not have the best surroundings. Wes Moore eventually let the conditions around him influence his actions. He began to have academic and disciplinary issues at his new school in the Bronx. This leads to him going on academic probation. Once his dean called his mom, listing all of the things he has done, she knew it was the last straw. She decided to send him to military school, which changed his future. He meant lots of new people that will soon become his best friends and role models. He also met Colonel Bratt, who taught him the true meaning of honor and courage. The other Wes Moore also started off in a terrifying environment, but he never got away from it. His bad behavior first started when he was a child. He grew to be taller than most of the kids in his grade, which made him think he was superior. He also got advice from his older brother, Tony, on how to be tough. One day this all backfired on him, “‘ Put down the knife.’ Wes didn’t hear him. Wes continued to move towards the boy. His grip on the knife handle tightened. His forearms flexed. Send a message” (Moore 34). He believed that he needed to be like his brother, dangerous and fearless, in order to succeed. Tony wanted his younger brother to do his best and go down the right path, but he couldn’t stop him. Wes, soon, followed his brother to pursue a life of crime. They would sell drugs and beat people up. Wes had so

Wes Moore lived only miles away from a boy with the same name and incredibly similar upbringings. Although they both chose to do some very questionable things as kids, they both got second chances to make things right. While Wes Moore, the author was interviewing the other Wes Moore, he states “From everything you told me, both of us did some pretty wrong things when we were younger. And both of us had second chances. But if the situation or the context where you make the decisions don’t change, then second chances don’t mean too much, huh?” This just shows that anything can change things no matter how small the incident. The major moment that I believe to have changed Wes Moore’s life is that he didn’t have any positive adult role models in his life. Even though his mother often tried to help him stay out of the gang violence and the drugs, she was unable to get through to him. After flushing the drugs he had intended to sell she said, “Not only did you lie to me but you were selling drugs and keeping them in my house! Putting all of us in danger because of your stupidity. I don’t want to hear your sob story about how much money you owe. You will stop selling that stuff. I will be checking your room, and I don’t want to ever see it in here again.” So his mother continued to try but was unsuccessful and Wes’s brother, Tony, was no help either. “Tony, who was about to become a father – making Mary a

After getting deeply involved in the drug game, the other Wes Moore attempted to better his life by enrolling in a yearlong Job Corps program. After earing high scores on his GED while training as a carpenter, he was unable to get a job afterwards. With no job, the money made on the street was too tempting, and Wes returned to the streets (Bolton). There was no defining moment that propelled the other Wes off course, but within a few years, Wes had been incarcerated for good for his role in the death of a police officer

Wes was not good at school, so he decided to skip and his teacher helped him because the class ran smoother without him there. Moore says, "some days I would check into homeroom; other days I'd head directly back to the train and return to the neighborhood, where I'd meet up with one of the guys who had a similar arrangement"(Moore 77). This shows that when Wes decided to skip school, the decisions changed his life because this was one of the reasons that Wes was sent to military school. Military school is the biggest factor in Wes' life that changed his life forever. If he had never dropped out of school, he would not have gone to military school, and his life would have changed for the worse. The consequences of dropping out of school can lead to something bigger in

Unlike the author, inmate Wes Moore will spend the rest of his life behind bars. Like the author, Wes grew up with a loving mother and always looked up to his older brother, Tony. Tony, a known drug dealer and troublemaker did not want his younger brother to follow in his footsteps. Although that was not the case; Wes followed in his brother’s footsteps until he came to the harsh realization that he needed to change. Wes wanted to become a better person and provide a better life for his children.

Due this exponentially degrading behavior and his failure to pull his grades up, Wes Moore is sent off to military school and quickly learns he does not want to be there. The ‘other Wes Moore’ continues down his path of gang banging. Eventually, he and Tony, along with two other individuals, are involved in a jewelry store heist that results in the shooting death of a police officer. This sparks a man hunt for Wes, Tony, and the two others involved. The police conduct a thorough search of their mother’s house and interrogate her as to the whereabouts of her sons.