Jill’s party takes place on the day the novel begins. Although Quinn and Rashad hardly know each other, they are united by their excitement to attend the party and their hopes of hooking up with one of the girls there (Jill and Tiffany, respectively). The party thus represents the normal, frivolous matters that occupy the minds of teenagers. Of course, Rashad is unable to actually attend Jill’s party due to his violent arrest. Quinn’s ability to attend the party—and the fact that Jill hosts the party in the first place while only getting into very minor trouble with the cops—highlights Quinn and Jill’s white privilege. Racism prevents Rashad from acting like a normal teenager, focused on girls, drinking, and partying. It forces him to grow up more quickly and confront the most difficult, painful issues of life at a time when he should be able to just have fun with his friends. Jill’s party thus symbolizes the fact that although Rashad and Quinn are residents of the same town, in many ways they live in separate worlds.
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The timeline below shows where the symbol Jill’s Party appears in All American Boys. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
1. Friday: Rashad
...Shannon Pushcart and Carlos Greene, who are also in the bathroom. The boys discuss the party at Jill’s that night, and Rashad teases Carlos for not making the basketball team. Carlos is into...
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...in Rashad’s opinion is “the baddest girl in the eleventh grade.” Before he gets to Jill’s party , he wants to buy some chips and a pack of gum, and to borrow...
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4. Saturday: Quinn
...what happened at Jerry’s was “no big deal.” However, he couldn’t bring himself to enjoy Jill’s party . He is haunted by the image of Paul beating Rashad; in this moment, Paul...
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5. Sunday: Rashad
...quiet, peaceful room. He thinks about the fact that he was supposed to be at Jill’s party , impressing everyone with his dance moves. Instead, he ended up with a broken nose...
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...his friends are confused about where he is and why he hasn’t shown up to Jill’s party . Eventually, more texts show up about Rashad being on the news. Rashad responds with...
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