Schooled

Lionel’s emotions are described as potentially destructive. After failing to accomplish his writing task, Lionel feels unproductive rage that he directs inwardly at himself and his ostensible lack of intellect, and outwardly at his best friend Dontrell, who managed to write an interesting-sounding essay disagreeing with Langston Hughes’s poem. Lionel’s anger blocks him from pushing forward; rather, it comes with resignation and defeat, as he tells Dontrell that they are both “stuck at the bottom” (95). Not perceiving how rage affects his ability to persevere, Lionel instead associates rage with strength. He imagines violently attacking his best friend and causing chaos in the classroom to show them “he still had power” (96). However, Lionel manages to regulate his rage by thinking of basketball. He knows how to channel his anger on the court, where he can more productively rationalize his bad feelings. This indicates his growing sense of responsibility.

At the crux of the novel are Lionel’s tryouts for the Bluford basketball team; Langan positioning this event as the plot climax highlights The Significance of Sports for Black Youth. Lionel defies his teacher’s wish to discuss his school performance after school and goes to the court instead. His determination indicates how athleticism shapes his character and reinforces his focus, discipline, and will to achieve his goals. Basketball remains Lionel’s key support system; he believes that his confident performance on the court brings him closer to fulfilling his dream.

Lionel’s breaking point after tryouts develops his character arc by foregrounding Social and Educational Struggles in Black Urban Communities. After learning that he cannot join the basketball team due to his low grades, Lionel feels trapped in an unfair system: “It felt as if they’d ganged up on him, robbing him right there in the middle of the gym for everyone to see” (111). This metaphor of theft presents Lionel’s surroundings as a threat, foreshadowing Lionel’s actual attack by a gang in the neighborhood. Langan describes one version of Black urban communities, but does not delve into the larger power structures responsible for discrimination and economic inequality. Lionel is individually responsible for achieving socio-emotional growth.

The narrative raises the stakes and builds tension as Lionel decides to leave his family and school and move into Jamar’s house. Feeling that his “dream [has] died” (113), Lionel allows self-pity to overtake him as he seeks to escape his problems in a setting that depicts a stereotypical version of “the hood.” Jamar’s house offers Lionel one potential future. The place is ill-kept, with a “cluttered living room” and a “messy bedroom” (123). Substance use featuring “drugs and alcohol” (124) is pervasive. Lionel understands that this is a place of evading problems instead of confronting them. Lionel drinks until he experiences a “mind-numbing haze” (127), though he remains aware enough to realize that he is becoming the stereotype that an unjust society expects him to be: “He’d made himself into the mess that returned his gaze” (129). In response, Lionel chooses to regain control over his life. Critics point out that while the novel highlights challenges in underprivileged majority-Black urban communities, it reduces the solution to the protagonist’s choice to resist self-destructive activities, ignoring larger systemic and structural issues at work.

The new symbolism of Langston Hughes’s poem establishes Lionel’s emerging determination. As he faces himself in the mirror after using alcohol in Jamar’s house, Lionel recalls the poem and fully comprehends its meaning: “For the first time, Lionel knew the answers to the questions in the poem. A dream does all those things if it isn’t lived, he realized” (130). Lionel sees that embracing hopelessness through alcohol and drugs would negate the good in every part of his life, including school, his family, and sports. He realizes that he must face life with courage and pursue his dreams despite obstacles and adversity.

The theme of The Importance of Family in Personal Growth dominates the story’s resolution as Lionel reestablishes his relationship with his father. Lionel reaches his lowest point as a character after being attacked by a gang in the neighborhood. However, he survives, and Leroy rushes to help him. This signifies a breakthrough and leads them to a newfound understanding: Leroy realizes that an authoritarian approach to parenting has not been successful. Instead, Leroy treats Lionel like maturing young man ready to learn the truth about his father’s learning struggles, shame over dropping out of school, and guilt about not being able to provide more for their family. As Lionel confesses his own shameful misadventures, his father embraces and supports him, reinforcing hope in his son. Both men commit to education: Leroy reveals that he is trying to get his GED, and Lionel agrees to get the right help for his learning differences. Lionel’s outlook transforms after his reconnection with his father: He decides to embrace life with resilience, to create meaning, and to confront his struggles.