The Rock and The River

As the novel opens, Sam is somewhat naïve to the complications surrounding his race and the conflicts of factions within and without the Civil Rights Movement. We see his naivety in the initial instances of racism he faces in the novel: first, when the nurse makes Stick wait despite the severity of his injuries following the white man’s attack with a glass bottle, and second, when the cashier at the hospital gift shop accuses Sam of stealing. Sam is shocked by the nurse and the cashier’s treatment, and he must collect himself and take stock of the situation. These incidents mark the beginning of his development, as he starts to understand the severe consequences of racism when he ventures outside of his own neighborhood: “I’d forgotten what happens when you go someplace new. How careful you had to be. Why I wasn’t allowed to go into the white neighborhoods without Father or Mama” (16).

The next incident that impacts Sam’s development is when he and Maxie witness police officers beating and arresting Bucky. Sam describes Bucky as an innocent, cheerful fellow, emphasizing the injustice of the officers’ actions: “Bucky always bounced back; that was his life” (242) and “Even with all the things he had going on, Bucky was never anything but cheerful. No wonder everybody liked him” (61). Sam is unable to act, but his recognition of his own failing here colors his later interactions with similar incidents of racism. Sam internalizes that inaction can sometimes equal violence—a deviation from his father’s beliefs.

Racism generates extreme circumstances under which Sam must learn to advocate for himself and defend himself. In fact, Sam’s abilities in advocating for and defending himself are tested with extremely high stakes, both physically and legally. When police officers attempt to beat and arrest Charlie as they did Bucky, Sam witnesses the power of violence after Black Panthers intercede with guns. The effectiveness of guns impacts Sam so much that he uses Stick’s gun to threaten a man who attempts to strangle Stick. Here, we see that Sam has been influenced by the racism around him, and he has also been influenced by the resistance to racism that he witnesses. Whereas previously he had described a gun as “violating” his space, Sam wishes he could use the weapon again when facing down the officers who are responsible for Stick’s death: “I saw myself, gun in hand, standing tall over the cop. Killing his power. The deep intention separated me from every other thing in existence. Me and my rage, alone” (273). Sam experiences rage at his own powerlessness—a powerlessness developed out of racist societal constructs fashioned to keep Black Americans oppressed.

Sam’s development in this novel is markedly different than the average development of a white youth. Sam faces violence, great tragedy, injustice, and the necessity to advocate for his life and the lives of his community members.

The novel also contrasts a traditional coming-of-age story by the characters’ interest in the far, unforeseen future where their lives, or the lives of their community, might be better. Sam expresses his wish to see the result of the Civil Rights movement when he describes wanting to see the edge of the lake: “But our view was of the lake’s heart, where whitecapped waves churned in the deep” (212). Similarly, Father explains, “Every day I wake up thinking if I knew what tomorrow would look like, it would make today a whole lot easier” (90-91). Raheem confronts Sam with maintaining hope and expecting a better future when they discuss how Sam disparaged Maxie and her neighborhood: “[T]he worst thing is for someone to feel hopeless. But, that’s what happens when you live where we live too long. You get so you can’t see past where you’re at, and you can’t believe there’s anything better for you” (168). The latter quote summarizes the most important message that Magoon is trying to convey to her readers, even as she writes from a better (but not perfect) future: you must keep hoping for a better tomorrow.