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
It’s a beautiful spring day, and there’s already grass growing on Dre’s grave. Maverick sits against the headstone and picks up a drawing that Adreanna made. It makes him cry. He talks to Dre and says that things are hectic, but he’s not skipping school today—he has a day off. Things are rough in the streets since Shawn got arrested, and he might never get out. The police traced his gun to a murder. Now, P-Nut calls himself “the crown,” and Maverick, King, Junie, and Rico decided they have to take care of themselves. They’re also looking out for the “youngins.” He admits that they’re selling drugs, but he won’t work for P-Nut, and he assures Dre that this is temporary.
It's unclear exactly how much time has passed between Lisa’s doctor’s appointment and now, but Maverick makes it clear that lots of things have changed in the interim. He’s now back to selling drugs with King, and the King Lords are no longer the reliable force they’ve been for years. But even though Maverick frames selling drugs as a necessity, assuring Dre that this is temporary shows how uncomfortable Maverick is with this.
Themes
Maverick imagines Dre’s disbelieving look and assures him that it’s just enough to help Ma without raising her suspicions. Touching the grass, Maverick tells Dre about how Mr. Wyatt talks about plants like they’re women. He admits that he’s struggling in his classes and knows he’ll have to go to summer school. Maverick gives Dre an update on Keisha and Adreanna, and then the tears come. He imagines Dre telling him it’s okay, but Maverick knows it isn’t.
Again, Maverick makes it clear that there are real reasons why he has to sell drugs: he has to help Ma. Not helping her isn’t an option. Then, it’s significant that Maverick allows himself to cry on Dre’s grave. This suggests that he’s taking some of Mr. Wyatt’s advice to heart by allowing himself to express his emotions.
Themes
Maverick laughs and tells Dre about his visit with Pops. Maverick says he doesn’t need a father since he himself is a father now. He says that if his and Lisa’s baby is a boy, they’re going to name him after Dre. Then, he says he has a Valentine’s Day surprise planned for Lisa: he’s taking her to tour Markham State. After that, she’ll have to give him a chance. Now, it’s time to go meet Lisa to ride the bus home with her after school. Leaving Dre is difficult.
Maverick makes the assertion that he doesn’t need support just because he has kids of his own. But the novel has shown that this isn’t true: Maverick has needed Ma’s help and Mr. Wyatt’s help, and he’d certainly appreciate Pops’s help if his father was able to be around more. Maverick’s insistence on self-sufficiency just reflects how angry he is with Pops right now.
Themes
Maverick goes to Saint Mary’s and waits by a phone booth. It looks like he’s waiting for Lisa—but he’s also waiting for customers. It annoys him that for the rich white people he sells to, drugs just mean a fun weekend. For him, it’s dangerous, but it’s what he has to do to keep the lights on. Maverick sells to three people before Lisa appears with Connor—he’s holding her backpack. They approach Maverick, and Connor gives Lisa a teddy bear for the baby. Lisa is thrilled, but Maverick asks if it’s too early for that. Connor kisses Lisa’s cheek and walks away.
It's impossible for Maverick to ignore how dangerous selling drugs is—he recognizes that he, like Pops, could be arrested and serve a long prison sentence if he’s caught. But for the wealthy white people he sells to, there seems to be little recognition that drug-dealing is dangerous for Maverick. Maverick’s buyers, in other words, don’t realize (or don’t care) that in buying drugs, they’re essentially buying into the gang culture and illegal activity that puts Maverick and other dealers at risk.
Themes
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As Maverick and Lisa walk to the bus stop, Lisa says that Connor isn’t in a gang and is doing stuff with his life. Plus, she and Maverick are just friends. Maverick asks how “he” (the baby) is doing, but Lisa says that she’s willing to bet $10 and ribs from Reuben’s that it’s a girl. Maverick accepts the bet. Lisa says that Maverick’s baby wants ribs, and Maverick laughs—whenever Maverick messes up, Ma tells him that he’s exclusively Pops’s son. Lisa says that Maverick should talk to Pops, since she’d give anything for Ms. Montgomery to check in on her. Maverick asks about her day to avoid talking about it, but Lisa puts on headphones to tune him out.
Lisa deeply misses her mother’s support, and in her mind, it makes sense that Maverick would be missing Pops, too. But Maverick is still too angry to figure out how to have a relationship with Pops. He believes that part of growing up and becoming an adult means totally separating himself from Pops, which is partially why he’s refusing to talk to him right now.
Themes
Maverick can’t get over Lisa being with Connor. He feels like he’s doing everything a good boyfriend should do, but Lisa is too caught up with a white boy and a teddy bear. Once he and Lisa get back to the Garden, Maverick walks her to Tammy’s house. There’s an unfamiliar red car in the drive—and inside, they find Tammy’s older sister, Brenda. Ms. Rosalie cradles Brenda’s month-old son, Khalil. Brenda explains that she and Jerome are moving back to the Garden to be close to Ms. Rosalie. Maverick has heard that no one likes Jerome.
Again, Maverick seems to believe that doing nice things for Lisa should win her over—but clearly, this relationship isn’t going to work this way. Although Maverick focuses on the fact that Connor is white, Lisa has said that she likes him because he’s “doing things” with his life. Connor’s race isn’t necessarily why Lisa is drawn to him over Maverick—Maverick may be less desirable of a partner because he's in a gang and has no plans to do anything else.
Themes
Ms. Rosalie heads to the kitchen to get started on dinner, and though she rolls her eyes, she accepts a few $100 bills from Maverick to help out. Lisa asks if she can hold Khalil, and Brenda settles her in the armchair with the baby. Maverick perches on the arm and marvels at how tiny Khalil is, but Brenda assures him that he’s not that fragile. Then, they discuss whether Lisa’s baby is a boy or a girl. If it’s a boy, she and Maverick are going to name him after Dre. Brenda offers her condolences and says that Dre and Jerome were each other’s customers.
The $100 bills are presumably drug money, which implies that Maverick is able to live much more comfortably and support other people in his life now that he’s dealing again. Although dealing drugs is dangerous, it gives Maverick freedom and makes him feel more in control of his life. Seeing Khalil, meanwhile, gives Maverick a taste of what having a new baby is going to be like.
Themes
A door opens down the hall, and a raspy voice says that he needed a nap. Red comes out of Tammy’s room, teases Brenda, and then greets everyone else. Maverick thinks he should’ve known Red’s real name wasn’t Red. Red gives Maverick a forced smile; he’s clearly still angry that Maverick and King knocked his tables over. When Red goes to pick up Khalil, Maverick notices Dre’s watch on Red’s wrist. It was stolen the night Dre was killed.
Seeing Dre’s watch on Red’s wrist sets off alarm bells for Maverick, especially since the gang never conclusively figured out who killed Dre. But discovering that Red might be connected in this setting, with his newborn son, reminds Maverick that Red is human too. Like Ant, Red has family, friends, and a life outside of being a hustler.
Themes
