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Nikki
Moore’s mother. Herself the daughter of Rev. James and Winell, Joy is born in Jamaica before immigrating to the United States as a child. At American University, Joy meets Bill, and the pair get married and have a child, Nikki. However, Joy ends up leaving Bill on account of his drug addiction and violent abuse. Soon after, she meets and marries Westley and has two children with him, Moore and Shani. When Westley dies, Joy moves the family back in with her parents in the Bronx and works three jobs in order to send Moore to Riverdale. Although she and Moore have a troubled relationship during this period, things improve dramatically after Moore’s time at military school. At the end of the book, Moore credits the support of his mother as the most important element guiding his success.
Joy Quotes in The Other Wes Moore
The The Other Wes Moore quotes below are all either spoken by Joy or refer to Joy. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 3 Quotes
My mother saw Riverdale as a haven, a place where I could escape my neighborhood and open my horizons. But for me, it was where I got lost.
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Moore has explained that his mother was nervous about the prospect of sending him to public school in the Bronx, and thus opted to enroll him at the prestigious Riverdale County Day School, an institution with a “lush” college-like campus and a decidedly affluent student population. However, in this passage Moore indicates that his mother was mistaken in her excitement about the opportunities Riverdale presented. Moore finds himself “lost” at the school because he feels alienated from the other students—who are almost all wealthy and white. It is impossible to reconcile the “horizons” presented by Riverdale and the reality of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delect
Chapter 4 Quotes
I found in hip-hop the sound of my generation talking to itself, working through the fears and anxieties and inchoate dreams—of wealth or power or revolution or success—we all shared. It broadcast an exaggerated version of our complicated interior lives to the world, made us feel less alone in the madness of the era, less marginal. Of course, all that didn't matter to my mother. All she knew was that I could effortlessly recite hip-hop lyrics while struggling with my English class.
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Moore has been performing badly in school, a fact that is causing Joy to be increasingly concerned. One day while Moore and Joy are in the car together, a hip hop song comes on the radio and Moore starts rapping along enthusiastically. Joy is furious; while Moore’s teachers at Riverdale have suggested he might have a learning disability, Moore’s mastery of the lyrics indicates to Joy that he has simply been focusing his energies in the wrong direction. In this passage, Moore explains that—rather than being a frivolous diversion—hip hope gives him a sense of meaning and community, particularly in Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia ap
Chapter 5 Quotes
Wes, you are not going anywhere until you give this place a try. I am so proud of you, and your father is proud of you, and we just want you to give this a shot. Too many people have sacrificed in order for you to be there.
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After four attempts to run away from Valley Forge, Moore is brought to the office of Colonel Battagliogli, who allows him to make a five-minute phone call. When Joy answers the phone, Moore immediately begins begging to be allowed to come home; however, Joy cuts him off and tells him that he has no choice but to stay. This passage demonstrates Joy’s particular mix of strictness and support, the combination of which ultimately enables her son to flourish. Although Moore is miserable at military school, it is clear that he needs the discipline and boundaries of the institution in order Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio u
Chapter 6 Quotes
I had to let this one go. I had to look at the bigger picture. My assailant was unknown, unnamed, and in a car. This was not a fair fight, and the best-case scenario was nowhere near as probable as the worst-case scenario. If I was successful, who knew how the fight would've ended? If I failed, who knew how the fight would've ended? I thought about my mother and how she would feel if this escalated any further. I thought about my father and the name he chose for me.
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During a trip to town with his fellow cadet Dalio, Moore is attacked by a group of drunk teenagers, one of whom identifies himself as Colonel Bose’s son. As the teenagers’ aggression escalates, one of them shouts a racist slur at Moore and throws something hard at his face. Although Moore is tempted to retaliate, he reasons that this is too great a risk. The kind of reasoning Moore displays in this passage is a direct contrast to Wes’s reaction to the conflicts with the young boy during the football game and with Ray. In these cases, Wes leaves no Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. P
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Joy Character Timeline in The Other Wes Moore
The timeline below shows where the character Joy appears in The Other Wes Moore. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1: Is Daddy Coming with Us?
...Nikki; she is seven years older than he is and her real first name is Joy, the same as their mother.
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Joy immigrated to the United States at three years old from a quiet, rural part of...
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...order to host his own radio program. It is in this position that he meets Joy, who loves how different he is from Bill. The two marry, and Moore is born....
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Nikki calls an ambulance while Joy attempts CPR on Westley. When the medics arrive, Nikki makes Moore wait outside the house....
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Chapter 2: In Search of Home
...walking downstairs one night to find his mother half-asleep on the couch. Since Westley’s death, Joy has been sleeping in the living room in order to “stand guard” against their increasingly...
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...Dr. James Thomas, used to be a minister, while his grandmother, Winell, taught elementary school. Joy tells the children happy stories of growing up in the Bronx, but when they arrive...
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Chapter 3: Foreign Ground
...kids in their school. Despite having graduated from the New York public school system herself, Joy was worried about the prospect of sending her son to public school, thinking it would...
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...Justin comes from a very similar background yet is receiving top grades. Moore confesses that Joy is threatening to send him to military school, but doesn’t really believe she’ll follow through...
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Chapter 4: Marking Territory
...in the Bronx, Moore is rapping along to a song about drugs while a horrified Joy looks on. Moore has been performing badly in school, and Joy is beginning to believe...
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Moore panics, dreading the thought of Joy having to collect him from jail. His relationship with his mother is already under strain...
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Chapter 5: Lost
...smile” before leaving. Moore explains that this is his first morning at military school, which Joy has sent him to after he was put on academic and disciplinary probation at Riverdale....
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...never mentioned. In his first days at the school, Moore is filled with rage at Joy for sending him there, and tries to run away four times in as many days....
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...apologize for his past behavior and beg to be let home. Before he can finish, Joy cuts him off and tells him that he is not going anywhere; his family are...
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Joy repeats that she loves Moore and is proud of him and that “it’s time to...
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Chapter 6: Hunted
...“a coordinated ‘Yes Sergeant.’” He has now been at Valley Forge for three years, and Joy has noticed that he is more polite, has better posture, and carries himself with a...
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Chapter 8: Surrounded
...of attending such a prestigious institution, but also going home to Baltimore. His relationship with Joy has improved dramatically since he first enrolled at Valley Forge and he now sees her...
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...sense of common humanity and peace is of vital importance. When Moore next speaks to Joy on the phone, she tells him about the crazy coincidence that the Baltimore police department...
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Epilogue
...other characters in the book progressed up until the point at which he is writing. Joy lives just outside Baltimore, working for a consultancy that works with charitable foundations. Nikki runs...
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