Schooled

Lionel is the protagonist of the story. The narrative unfolds in a third-person limited point of view, exploring Lionel’s perspective and illuminating his emotions and thoughts. 

This section introduces Lionel’s personal, familial, and educational struggles. At school, Lionel struggles with reading and writing, and his classmates often mock him. Lionel feels inadequate and hides his problem out of embarrassment. He feels pressure from teachers who have not identified his lack of literacy skills and assume that his poor performance stems from behavioral issues. Lionel’s school experiences impact his sense of self-worth and exacerbate his inner turmoil. 

Lionel also experiences challenges at home. His mother works in the military and is deployed overseas, while his father is often away for work, striving to support the family. Lionel is traumatized by his mother’s absence, which makes him feel emotionally empty. The family’s precarious financial state means Lionel lacks a sufficiently robust support system. 

Lionel’s personal aspirations are also a source of stress. He dreams of becoming a basketball player for the NBA and finds no meaning in education. Basketball is Lionel’s outlet, a means to forget his mother’s “long absence and his troubles at school” (23). At the same time, Lionel feels stymied by his father’s desire for him to focus on his education; rather than face his father’s judgmental anger, Lionel hides his illiteracy, forges Leroy’s signature on a letter from school, and considers dropping out as a pathway to NBA stardom.

Lionel’s predominantly Black neighborhood—an inner-city ghetto—exemplifies the novel’s view of the Social and Educational Struggles in Black Urban Communities. While highlighting the disparities that impact Black communities, the novel often falls into dominant stereotypes of the Black experience. Its setting is depicted as rife with gun violence that has had a traumatic impact on Lionel. Lionel believes that focusing on his education will not “stop the bullets that killed his neighbor’s grandson in his neighborhood” (8). Ms. Walker, that boy’s grandmother, complains that there is “so much shootin’” (33) around the neighborhood. Lionel had nightmares after the shooting, indicating the traumatic psychological damage the event inflicted. Economic inequalities also affect Lionel’s life. Jamar, Lionel’s young coworker in the car wash, typifies this problem. Jamar has left school because he thinks only money matters in the world. He lives with cousins portrayed as stereotypically unproductive members of society: In the middle of day, they listen to rap music and watch TV, use marijuana and alcohol, and do not keep up their household. Jamar displays a stereotypical behavior often associated with the urban life of Black youth. Finally, Lionel’s undiagnosed learning differences represent the failure of the educational system to meet his needs. 

The theme of The Importance of Family in Personal Growth also emerges in this section. Despite Lionel’s complex home life and the conflict with Leroy over basketball, Lionel’s values are defined by his family. For example, Lionel has internalized his father’s message about the crucial role of education—this is why he worries about disappointing his parents with his poor school performance. The text juxtaposes Lionel to Jamar. Jamar urges Lionel to quit school, and Lionel is intrigued by the idea. However, he also rejects Jamar’s way of life. At Jamar’s house, Lionel feels strange; he is able to reject Jamar’s offer of marijuana because he remembers his parents’ many warnings against drugs, which help him set boundaries. Leroy is the key male figure in his life, and Lionel is eager to make him proud—this is what he dreams about when he imagines making it to the NBA.

Paul Langan uses the famous poem “Harlem” by Langston Hughes to shape the text’s social meaning and emphasize Black cultural elements. The poem reflects Lionel’s inner self. While Lionel has not yet read the poem, it is likely that readers have; this dramatic irony allows the reader to understand that the poem’s focus on deferred dreams—and the American dream—connects with Lionel’s desire to succeed in basketball and the obstacles to achieving it. As Lionel’s understanding of the poem grows, the poem’s symbolism will shift to underscore the young man’s new dreams. Langan also quotes lyrics from rap songs when Lionel visits Jamar, thus juxtaposing two forms of cultural expression. Both the poem and the rap song reflect the Black experience, conveying a desire for equality and power.

The Significance of Sports for Black Youth is evident in Lionel’s goals: to join the Bluford team and become an NBA player. For Lionel, basketball is more than a chance to show off his skills; it also helps him distract from his problems at home and school and to see himself as intelligent. While playing, he feels “the world [is] simpler” as the rules are straightforward (23). He experiences feelings of inferiority in the classroom, but gains confidence on the court when his coach praises his smart plays. Basketball is thus a source of emotional strength and personal validation. 

Lionel also finds social and physical power in the sport. He believes that basketball is the surest way for his family to find economic stability, trying to convince his father that he could earn lots of money as an athlete. Langan also presents basketball as a means of grounding male identity and sexual desirability. Steve, the varsity player who challenges Lionel, uses the court as a place to show off for the watching cheerleaders and as a dominance display: He is “aggressive” and intentionally hits Lionel to “teach” him, calling him “little man” (22). Steve’s emphasis on machismo is contrasted with Lionel’s more technically proficient approach to the game. By not rising to Steve’s bait and instead outperforming him in the sport, Lionel receives the validation of his peers and thus adds to his social capital.