/ MOTIFS / IMAGERY / SYMBOLS

Other elements that are present in this novel are symbols and metaphors. Symbols are the use of some unrelated idea to represent something else. Metaphors are direct comparisons made between characters and ideas. There are many symbols and metaphors used by the author such as:

1. The neighborhood around the Horner Homes is described as a metaphor of a beast devouring its children.

2. LaJoe thinks of the neighborhood as a black hole.

3. Pharaoh's vigor in holding on to his childhood is described as a tiger gripping its meat.

4. The Vice Lords had certain symbols they wore such as: a top hat for shelter, a cane for strength, a glove for purity, and a champagne glass for propriety. They also had a five pointed star and the Playboy Bunny.

5. The smells of Horner - fetid pools of water, urine puddles, soiled diapers, maggot-infested cat carcasses and rooting food - are metaphors for death.

6. Tiffany wonders how Terence gets out from behind the glass in the visitors' room. The glass then becomes a symbol of how he is trapped.

7. Pharoah's promise to do better than 5th place in the spelling bee the next year is symbolic of determination.

8. Damen Courts with its manicured lush lawns becomes symbolic of peace and respite to Pharoah.

9. Whenever someone dies young in the projects, the people say the death train got him. It is symbolic of how violence and death speeds through their community.

10. LaJoe metaphorically describes her three oldest children as red roses whose petals have wilted and fallen off. She'd like to give these flowers new life, but she is too tired of trying and must now see to the younger buds.

11. Metaphorically, as Horner and the neighborhood crumbles, so does LaJoe's spirit.

12. During some nighttime gunfire, Pharoah crawls in his sleep to the hallways where they all go for safety. This symbolic for how the violence around them affects them day or night.

13. After Lafeyette fights to save a friend being beaten up by a gang of boys, he drops to his knees and tells his mother he's tired. The idea of fatigue is symbolic for being tired of being.

14. The rainbow the kids chase is symbolic of the dream, of hope, and of belief.

KEY FACTS

Title: There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in the Other America

Author: Alex Kotlowitz

Date Published: 1991

Meaning of the Title: It refers to the comment LaJoe, the mother, makes when Kotlowitz asked her permission to write a book about her children and how they are growing up in the projects. She says there are no children here, because they have seen and experienced too much to be children anymore.

Setting: Henry Horner Homes and its surrounding neighborhoods, Chicago, Illinois, from the summer of 1987 through September 29, 1989

Protagonist: Lafeyette and Pharoah Rivers

Antagonists: The antagonists are many: the social system that creates impoverishment for minorities; the corruption and mismanagement of the Chicago Housing Authority; the gangs and their warfare; and the drugs they sell. The two boys face these problems each and every day, and any one of these antagonists could be the end of them. However, they also must face their own inner demons that may lead to either of them giving up and giving into the corruption of the inner city.

Mood: The mood is mostly dark because of the daily existence the two boys face. However, there are moments of hope such as Pharoah's second place in the spelling bee, Dawn's graduation from high school, and Lafeyette's deep compassion for children. By the end, the mood seems even more hopeful as Pharoah thrives at the private school and Lafeyette seems to be finding his way as well.

Point of View: First person in the Preface and the Epilogue and third person omniscient in the middle chapters

Tense: This story is written in the past tense since the author tells it based on his memories.

Rising Action: The rising action begins with the boys' trip to the railroad tracks, which leaves a lasting impression on Pharoah and ends with Lafeyette's arrest for vandalizing a car.

Exposition: The author tells us the story of Lafeyette and Pharoah Rivers who live in the projects of Chicago. He tells all the events that happen to them over a two-year period as a means of social commentary. As we follow the boys in moments of hope and moments of tragedy, we can't help be affected by the obstacles they face: poverty, drug abuse, violent deaths, gang warfare, and white people ignoring the problems.

Climax: The climax occurs when Lafeyette is arrested for vandalizing a car, a crime he insists he did not commit; he is allowed to go home while awaiting sentencing.

Outcome: Lafeyette is sentenced to a year's probation and 100 hours of community service. The author gets both boys into a private school even though Lafeyette is unable to meet the challenge and returns to public school. Pharoah thrives in the school's atmosphere, getting good grades and learning to overcome his tendency to daydream and forget his responsibilities. Rickey begins running drugs for one of the local gangs and is arrested for carrying a long butcher knife. He is placed back into juvenile detention and his mother believes if he doesn't get out of the projects, he'll either hurt someone else or be hurt himself. The CHA finally cleans out the horrendous mess in the Henry Horner basements and reclaims the buildings from the gangs. Dawn and Demetrius finally get an apartment with ABLA Homes, but end up with another child. Both are still looking for permanent work. Terrence expects to get out of prison sometime in 1991.

Major Themes: Much of America is a War Zone; the Ravages of Poverty; Racism; and the Dream Deferred