Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Concrete Rose, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Masculinity and Fatherhood
Identity and Individuality
Loyalty, Gang Affiliation, and Family
Poverty
Summary
Analysis
Maverick and Lisa walk silently around the neighborhood until they get to Lisa’s house. Inside, they reminisce about Dre. Lisa asks if it’s true that Maverick found Dre and offers her condolences. After a minute, Maverick asks where Lisa’s mom, Ms. Montgomery, is. Lisa says she’s at rehearsal (she teaches theater at the arts school). It means she’s not around to bug Lisa as much, and it’s also great that Carlos is back at college now. Lisa says that she’s trying to convince him to bring his girlfriend home for Thanksgiving, so he’s too distracted to annoy her. Maverick is shocked that Carlos has a girlfriend, but Lisa waves him off and goes to change.
For Maverick, this seems like a dream come true: Lisa is acknowledging his existence and is being kind to him, which gives him hope that he might still have a chance with her. Lisa also suggests here that she’s not entirely happy in her family situation: Carlos is annoying, while Ms. Montgomery “bugs” Lisa. She, like Maverick, may want to be more independent and to be treated more like an adult. In this way, Maverick and Lisa might still have more in common than Maverick thinks.
Themes
Maverick grabs a soda and wanders down the hall to stand in Lisa’s doorway. She teases him about coming to learn how to do his hair and asks if he’s brushed or washed his hair recently. He insists that with an afro, he doesn’t have to, but Lisa says he’s wrong and sends him to the bathroom. She follows him in and washes his hair, occasionally spraying him in the face. She asks about his job with Mr. Wyatt and if he’s given up dealing. Maverick says he has; he has a son to think about. He explains that Iesha left the baby with him the moment they found out he was the dad.
When Maverick justifies giving up drug-dealing by saying he has a baby to think about now, it shows that he’s trying to take Dre’s advice to heart. It’s more important to him at this point to make “clean money” than it is to make a lot of money through risky, illicit means. However, this may also just be a way to impress Lisa—something that’s still really important to Maverick.
Themes
As Lisa rinses Maverick’s hair, she asks what the baby’s name is. She’s aghast that Maverick named him Seven, after a number, but she agrees it’s okay when he explains that it’s the number of perfection. Maverick insists it’s better than Connor, and Lisa sprays him again. She insists that she’s not with Connor, but she won’t say anything more.
Maverick is discovering that his parenting decisions (like Seven’s name) aren’t going to make sense to everyone. More broadly, though, giving Seven such a unique name is a way for Maverick to assert his individuality—and Seven’s as well.
Themes
Back in Lisa’s bedroom, she kneels behind Maverick to comb his hair. He yelps and squirms, but she accuses him of being tender-headed. They argue and start to tickle each other—and then Maverick kisses Lisa. They undress and crawl into bed, but then Maverick hisses that he doesn’t have a condom. Lisa says she’s not on the pill anymore, but they decide to have sex as long as Maverick is careful and pulls out.
Maverick and Lisa clearly still have feelings for each other if they’re willing to have sex again. In this sense, Maverick might have a wider support network than he originally thought. But having unprotected sex comes with its own risks, like pregnancy—and given that Maverick already got another girl pregnant, this is ominous foreshadowing for what’s to come.
Themes
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