Rev. Dr. James Thomas Character Analysis in The Other Wes Moore

Moore’s grandfather James is originally from Jamaica, where he meets his future wife Winell while a ministerial student at the age of 18. The couple immigrate to the United States so James can study theology at an American university. As a minister, he takes pride in serving his community in the Bronx. Although he and Winell originally plan to return to Jamaica to retire, they end up spending their retirement savings to pay for Moore’s first year at military school.

Rev. Dr. James Thomas Quotes in The Other Wes Moore

The The Other Wes Moore quotes below are all either spoken by Rev. Dr. James Thomas or refer to Rev. Dr. James Thomas. 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:

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Spiegel & Grau edition of The Other Wes Moore published in 2011.

When my grandparents moved to the United States, their first priority was to save enough money to buy this house on Paulding Avenue. To them a house meant much more than shelter; it was a stake in their new country. America allowed them to create a life they couldn't have dreamed of in their home countries of Jamaica and Cuba.

Related Characters: (speaker), ,

Page Number and Citation: 39

Explanation and Analysis:

Rev. Dr. James Thomas Character Timeline in The Other Wes Moore

The timeline below shows where the character Rev. Dr. James Thomas appears in The Other Wes Moore. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Moore’s grandparents have recently retired; his grandfather, Rev. Dr. James Thomas, used to be a minister, while his grandmother, Winell, taught elementary school. Joy tells... (full context)

James and Winell met as teenagers in Jamaica. As newlyweds, they immigrated to the United States... (full context)

...at Moore’s wedding and is still an important (if “intimidating”) mentor to Moore. Moore’s grandfather James passed away, and although Moore rushed back from Afghanistan to be with him, he was... (full context)