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
On Friday morning, Ma offers to watch Seven and insists Maverick go to the football game that evening. Now, Maverick enters the stadium with Junie, King, and Rico; he has $10 from Ma in his pocket. At football games, gang affiliation doesn’t matter—only school loyalty does. It seems like most of the Garden has come to this away game at a fancier school. The boys find a spot near the 50-yard line, catcall some girls, and tease Maverick about being let out of his house arrest. Rico asks if Iesha ever helps, but Maverick says she’s having a hard time. He asks King if he’s seen Iesha, but he tells Maverick to forget her.
Agreeing to watch Seven so Maverick can go to the football game shows that Ma recognizes Maverick is still a kid—he still needs fun, carefree evenings with his friends. This is one way that she shows him her support. But Maverick’s friends are unwilling to accept that Maverick has different priorities now that he’s a dad, which is why they joke that he’s been on “house arrest.” From their perspective, Ma is forcibly keeping him at home.
Themes
The marching band takes the field. Maverick checks out the drum majorettes, but he knows he’s too hung up on Lisa to try to pursue another girl. He’s been leaving messages in her mailbox, but Ms. Montgomery must be stealing them. King watches as the team runs onto the field and says he misses football more than anything. Then, King looks back to the bleachers and asks why Ant is staring at them. Maverick says that Ant is probably still upset about getting detention with Mrs. Turner last week. King assures Maverick that he, Rico, and Junie have his back if Ant tries anything tonight. Maverick realizes that even though Dre is gone, he still has brothers.
Even if Maverick’s friendships with Junie, Rico, and King might feel like they’re fracturing in some regard, what King says about Ant shows Maverick that he can rely on these guys to be here for him. Life isn’t over because Dre is gone—he still has the King Lords and his best friends to look out for him. With this, Maverick starts to move on and heal a little more from Dre’s death.
Themes
By halftime, Maverick feels like himself again. Figuring the line at concessions is short, Maverick says he’s going to get food and asks if anyone else wants some. Rico and Junie give Maverick a list and thank him for buying, but Maverick says he isn’t paying for everyone. King offers to help out and follows Maverick to the line. It turns out to be very long. Maverick sees how expensive nachos are and laments that it’ll take all his money. King is shocked that Maverick only has $10 and shows him a roll of $100 bills. He says that with Dre gone, there’s nothing stopping Maverick from getting back into it, but Maverick insists that he’s trying to stay out of trouble.
As Maverick and King compare their respective wallets, it becomes clear to Maverick that drug-dealing is extremely lucrative. Though Maverick is acting like an adult in many ways by holding down a job and supporting his son, seeing King’s $100 bills probably makes Maverick feel childish. He is, after all, at a football game with just the $10 that his mother gave him. This may show Maverick that though he’s trying to “man up” and follow Dre’s advice of working a legal job, it might not be financially viable to do so.
Themes
Shaking his head, King asks if Maverick is at least going to go after Dre’s killer. Maverick explains that Shawn ordered him to leave it to the “big homies.” King spits that Maverick is being soft; it’s his responsibility to look out for his family. He says that Maverick dropped out of their deal, and now he’s home like a housewife—he won’t avenge Dre’s death, which King says is ridiculous. Before he can say more, though, a fight breaks out between some GDs, including Ant, and the local Latin Royals. A moment later, there are three gunshots, and everyone scatters. Ant is dead.
Though it certainly hurt Maverick to hear the “big homies” joke that he’s soft, it’s something else coming from King—especially when King also accuses Maverick of being like a housewife. With this, King seems to imply that Maverick isn’t masculine enough, because he does the stereotypically feminine work of caring for Seven. Manliness, in King’s mind, isn’t about actually being there to support his kids. Ant’s death, meanwhile, throws a wrench in Maverick’s plan to avenge Dre’s death—now, he may be forced to show his ongoing loyalty to his cousin in different ways.
Themes
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