At the beginning of the novel, Josh wears his hair in locks. He explains that he does this not just to differentiate himself from JB, but also because it makes him feel closer to Dad, whose locks looked like wings in an old photo. Like Dad, Josh is skilled at dunking the ball and he attributes this skill to his "wings," which suggests that locks connect Josh both to Dad and to his success on the court. It's telling, then, that things start to go downhill for Josh personally and for the entire Bell family when he's forced to shave his locks after JB cuts several of them off. Josh's senses of rootlessness, solitude, and failure in the rest of the novel can then be read as the direct result of losing these connections and his childhood sense of identity--which, though it might be a normal part of growing up, also suggests that Josh's identity will have to fundamentally shift as he moves towards adulthood, especially after Dad's death.
Locks/Wings Quotes in The Crossover
1. ever since I watched
the clip of Dad
posterizing
that seven-foot Croatian center
on ESPN's Best Dunks Ever;
soaring through the air—his
long twisted hair like wings
carrying him
high above
the rim—I knew
one day
I'd need
my own wings
to fly.
And so each time
I count the locks
of hair
beneath my pillow
I end up with thirty-seven
plus one tear,
which never
adds up.
Ever seen an eagle soar?
So high, so fly.
Me and my wings are--
and that's when I remember:
MY. WINGS. ARE. GONE.
Locks/Wings Symbol Timeline in The Crossover
