Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Dear Martin, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Privilege, Entitlement, and Implicit Bias
Appearances and Assumptions
Support, Acceptance, and Belonging
Opportunity and Upward Mobility
The Media and Public Discourse
Summary
Analysis
Justyce takes a bus from Braselton Prep to Martel Montgomery’s house. He wouldn’t be on his way to this house if he hadn’t read the article about Mr. Rivers, which depressed him greatly. In the aftermath of Mr. Rivers’s resignation, Manny’s parent have decided to move. They had Justyce over again and told him that the company presented Manny’s father with an “ultimatum” to either “sever all ties with” the Justice for JAM movement or to resign. Given that the Rivers “more or less sponsored the Atlanta chapter of the Justice for JAM movement,” Mr. Rivers was not going to disassociate from the organization. Consequently, he packed his things and left the company.
Justyce finds himself surrounded by stories of discrimination and bigotry, realizing that even Manny’s powerful parents have to deal with the many racist sentiments that have arisen since their son’s death. To ask a father to cut ties with an organization created to commemorate the life of his son is an undeniably coldhearted thing to do, but it perfectly illustrates the fact that society is—on the whole—willing to ignore its biases. Disheartened by this, Justyce has decided to seek out people who understand what it feels like to face discrimination and ostracization.
Themes
Justyce is going to Martel Montgomery’s house because he “has no idea where else to go or who else to turn to.” He values SJ’s camaraderie, but doesn’t feel she can help truly help him navigate racial injustice. He knows he could talk to Doc about what he’s feeling, but he’s tired of Doc’s advice to “stay good even though the world craps on you.” One of the only people he thinks actually understands what he’s feeling is Deuce Diggs, the rapper he and Manny were listening to when Officer Tison shot them. “But of course Jus doesn’t have access to Deuce Diggs,” Stone writes. As a result, he’s been thinking about what Quan said—namely, that the Black Jihad is “like family.” “That’s really why he’s on this bus right now: he’s sick of feeling alone,” Stone notes.
“Sick of feeling alone,” Justyce finally succumbs to his desire to reach out to the Black Jihad. This is a last resort, an idea that is made especially clear by the fact that he considers both Doc and SJ while riding the bus to Martel’s. As he thinks about them, readers might get the sense that he feels guilty for not turning to them instead of the Black Jihad. Nevertheless, it makes a certain kind of sense that he wants to associate with people like Trey and Quan, since they grew up in the same neighborhood as him and know what it’s like to face constant adversity. This doesn’t mean what he’s doing is a good idea, but Nic Stone goes out of her way to illustrate why young men like Justyce are often drawn to gangs, which provide them with a sense of “family.”
Themes
Justyce gets off the bus and makes his way to Martel’s house, finding Trey and a number of other gang members on the porch. They laugh, calling him “Smarty-Pants,” but then they tell him to go inside to find Martel. Justyce has heard about Martel for his entire life, but he’s never seen him. Now, he’s surprised to discover that the inside of the infamous gang leader’s house is beautifully decorated with African tribal masks, hieroglyphics, and paintings. Martel welcomes him into the living room, and Justyce notices that he has a tracking device on his ankle. He’s also wearing a “dashiki shirt and kufi hat,” and he thanks Justyce for noticing the art on his walls. “I like to surround myself with reminders of ancient Kemet so the boys and I never forget our imperial roots,” he says.
In contrast to the predominantly white environment of Braselton Prep, Justyce has now entered a context in which blackness is a thing to be celebrated. Martel tells him that he likes to “surround” himself with “reminders” of a time when Egypt was untouched by Europeans—or, in other words, reminders of an all-black culture, one uninfluenced by white people. In turn, Justyce no longer has to think about standing out because of his race.
Themes
Martel tells Justyce that there is “royal blood flowing through [his] veins.” “Never forget,” he says, “your ancestors survived a transatlantic journey, built this nation from the ground up, and maintained a semblance of humanity, even when the very conditions of their existence suggested they were less than human. ‘Jihad’ is the act of striving, persevering.” As he listens, Justyce feels soothed by Martel’s voice, noting that Quan was right when he said that he would feel “welcomed.” When Martel asks why he’s come, Justyce explains everything that has happened in the past few months. By the time he’s finished, he’s lying on Martel’s Egyptian rug and feeling relieved about having finally found somebody to talk to about such difficult topics.
For the first time, Justyce feels like he belongs. He even feels comfortable talking about Manny’s death and his encounter with Officer Castillo—subjects that would be difficult to discuss with other people in his life. By coming to Martel’s house, then, Justyce feels as if he’s found a way to process all of the hatred he has encountered in the last several months.
Themes
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Martel gets up to get Justyce a glass of alcohol. While he’s gone, Justyce looks around and sees a sawed-off shotgun beneath the coffee table. He suddenly realizes that he shouldn’t be in this house, regardless of how “chill Martel seems.” Just then, though, Martel returns and gives him the alcohol, saying, “So, the illusion wore off, huh? Seeing some truth now? You ready to strike back?” Before he can answer, Trey runs into the living room with several other gang members. “Yo, check this out,” he says, giving his phone to Martel. When Martel gives the phone to Justyce, Justyce see a picture of Blake below a headline that reads, “JUSTYCE McALLISTER’S VIOLENT PAST: A FORMER VICTIM SPEAKS OUT.” The article, Justyce learns, is about how Blake has told the press that Justyce attacked him at his birthday party.
Justyce’s comfort suddenly disappears when he sees the shotgun, which reminds him that—no matter how much he might relate to the Black Jihad—he is not a violent person. Just when he realizes that joining the Black Jihad isn’t a productive way to deal with his anger and loneliness, he sees that the media has once again taken something out of context to make him look bad.
Themes
“Hell yeah, bruh!” says one of the gang members. “You scrap like this dude say you do, you can roll with us anytime.” “For real,” says another member. “You more like us than I realized!” This is too much for Justyce, who suddenly jumps up from the rug and runs out of the house.
Rather than joining the Black Jihad, Justyce flees. Hearing what Blake has told the media doesn’t encourage him to join the gang—instead, the shock of finding this out helps drive him away, perhaps because he realizes that associating with gang members would only align with the inaccurate way the media wants to portray him. In defiance of this representation, then, he leaves Martel and the other gang members.
Themes
