![]() Though, it suffered an engine issue after launch and failed to reach orbit. In this way, Quan’s childhood effectively ends, and he feels like what comes next-being incarcerated-is inevitable.Startup Relativity Space sent what it’s calling the “world’s first 3D-printed rocket” toward space on Wednesday, vaulting it into the upper reaches of the atmosphere. The rocket ship’s absence, then, seems fitting: Quan is stuck in the Black Jihad gang with no way of escape, even an imaginary one, because he now owes Martel a major debt for getting rid of Mama’s abuser. This is especially true since he knows that Martel, a fellow gang member, was the one who had Dwight murdered as a favor to Quan and his mother. With the rocket ship gone, there’s nothing now to facilitate Quan’s imaginings of flying away to a better place or a better life. Seeing its absence makes it clear to Quan that his childhood is permanently over. In the days after Dwight’s death, Quan discovers that the rocket ship has been removed from the park. But it’s there that Quan meets Trey, the older boy who ushers Quan into premature adulthood by convincing him to join the Black Jihad gang. In the days after his first arrest, Quan escapes to the rocket ship. With Daddy gone and Mama busy dealing with Dwight’s abuse, Quan feels unsupported he begins to act out and stops trying so hard to succeed in school. Around this time, Daddy is arrested and things begin to go downhill for Quan. It soon becomes a favored spot of drug users or couples looking for a private spot to have sex, so much of Quan’s time at the rocket ship includes carefully cleaning up hypodermic needles and used condoms. However, like Quan, the rocket ship struggles from the beginning. He still believes that if he dreams hard enough, he can have as bright of a future as Daddy says he does. The fact that he’s able to do this suggests that, at this age, Quan still has hope for his future. In the ship, Quan can imagine blasting off somewhere happy and safe. And in tough times-like when Dwight abuses Mama and threatens Quan, Dasia, or Gabe with violence-the rocket ship provides Quan a place to escape. At this point, he’s a young kid poised for success, as he’s doing well in school and has the support of his Daddy. When the novel opens, the park and the rocket ship are new and shiny-which isn’t all that different from nine-year-old Quan. The rocket ship structure at the local park symbolizes Quan and his hopes for the future. Snapshot: Two Young Men on a New (To Them) Playground.Snapshot: Two Boys, an Attorney, a Teacher, and a Disgruntled Guard in a Conference Room.Snapshot: A Black Boy (and a White Boy) Visits a Black Man (and a White Boy).Snapshot: A Prelaw Yale Undergrad, a Defense Lawyer, and a District Attorney in a Law Office.Snapshot: Two Boys, a Girl, a Teacher, a Lawyer, and a Case Management Intern in a Basement.Snapshot: Two Boys and a Girl in a Car (Present Day).April 24 Snapshot: A Postscript (Present Day).Snapshot: A Boy Alone on a Run-Down Playground (2017).Snapshot: Two Boys on a Brand-New Playground (2010).
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