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Chapter 20
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Concrete Rose, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Masculinity and Fatherhood
Identity and Individuality
Loyalty, Gang Affiliation, and Family
Poverty
Summary
Analysis
Maverick can’t focus on anything but the watch, and Red notices. Red seems to get nervous; he gives Khalil back to Brenda and says he’s going out for a bit. Maverick tries to follow him, but by the time he gets outside, Red is gone. Maverick heads for Mr. Wyatt’s store, thinking that Red would’ve bought a stolen watch from Ant—but there was more to the look in his eyes. Maverick is so distracted at work that he drops a carton of eggs as he bags them for a customer. Mr. Wyatt scolds Maverick and says that he’ll take two cartons out of Maverick’s paycheck.
Maverick can’t get it out of his mind that Red might have killed Dre. Given how loyal he is to Dre and how close they were, this isn’t surprising. But the distraction causes Maverick to fumble eggs, which will lose him money out of his paycheck. In this way, Maverick is going to face consequences for being so unfocused on work and so focused on Dre and Red.
Themes
When the customer is gone, Mr. Wyatt asks what’s going on. Maverick knows he can’t tell the truth, so he just says he has a lot on his mind. Mr. Wyatt tells him to focus on one thing at a time until he reaches his goal, and he asks Maverick what his goal is. Maverick wants to buy a car and a double stroller, but Mr. Wyatt deems those things a to-do list. He asks what Maverick wants to do with his life, which no one has asked him since he was a kid. Back then, he wanted to be an astronaut or a veterinarian, but now he knows that all anyone can hope for around here is survival.
Mr. Wyatt has stepped into the role of Maverick’s mentor, so he can tell that something is going on. Asking Maverick about his goals shows that he cares—it’s especially meaningful given that nobody has asked Maverick about his future since he was a kid. This suggests that for many people in a poor neighborhood like Garden Heights, there aren’t a lot of career options or other opportunities. As Maverick says, survival is the best people can hope for.
Themes
Mr. Wyatt pressures Maverick to tell him his dream. Maverick says he wanted to be like Pops when he was a kid, but that’s not why he’s in the gang—gang affiliation is necessary to survive. Mr. Wyatt points out that Carlos and Jamal are fine, and they’re not in gangs, but Maverick says those two didn’t have to be on the streets. In any case, everyone expected Maverick to be “Li’l Don” and join. Mr. Wyatt says that the apple might not fall far from the tree, but it can roll away if it gets a little push. Maverick grunts.
Maverick frames joining the King Lords as something thrust upon him. He didn’t get to choose, and it seems like he’s never given it much thought. But while Mr. Wyatt might accept that Maverick has been born into very particular and difficult circumstances, he also suggests that Maverick could overcome them if he wanted to. Maverick is, in other words, more in control of his life than he thinks.
Themes
Shaking his head, Mr. Wyatt again asks what Maverick’s dreams are. Maverick said he used to want to be a basketball player, but he and Mr. Wyatt both agree that’s not possible given how poorly Maverick plays. Then, Maverick says that he thinks owning a business, like Mr. Wyatt does, would be cool. He might have a clothing or music store. Mr. Wyatt says that’s a great dream, but Maverick needs a plan. He’ll need to get his diploma or a GED and then attend some community college courses. Maverick will also need a business loan, and he’ll be laughed out of a bank as a Black man with no education.
Previously, Maverick thought that it seemed great how bosses, like Mr. Wyatt and Mr. Lewis, can stand around and talk while paying others to do the hard work. Now, by laying out how Maverick could go about becoming one of those bosses, Mr. Wyatt makes this seem within Maverick’s reach. To quote Mr. Wyatt, Maverick just needs a little “push” to show him that this is possible, and to take the necessary steps to achieve this goal.
Themes
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Maverick laments that school is hard enough to fit in as it is. Mr. Wyatt says that without school, he’ll end up selling stuff like Red. Maverick is momentarily distracted, but then Mr. Wyatt suggests that he could leave Maverick in charge of the store for a few hours while he runs errands. It’ll give Maverick a taste of his dream. Maverick’s eyes go wide—Mr. Wyatt trusts him. He doesn’t know Maverick is still working for him to keep his drug-dealing a secret from Ma.
Mr. Wyatt recognizes that since Maverick doesn’t seem to believe he could really be a business owner one day, it’s important to give him tastes of what it’s like, so that he continues to dream and work for it. But as Maverick realizes, this also shows that Mr. Wyatt trusts Maverick—he sees Maverick as more than a gangster.
Themes
Once Mr. Wyatt leaves, Maverick looks around. This is fantastic—there’s no one to tell him what to do. Since he needs time to think, and Mr. Wyatt says that sweeping gives him time to think, Maverick grabs the broom. He wonders if maybe Ant didn’t kill Dre, but then he has to stop thinking to help some bratty kids and an old lady. When the store empties again, he checks the aisles and then starts to clean the glass.
Though Maverick is left on his own and has the ability to shirk his duties and play instead, he dives right into work. Further, he takes Mr. Wyatt’s advice to heart—he needs time to think, so he does what Mr. Wyatt would do and sweeps. This shows that he’s taking Mr. Wyatt seriously as a mentor.
Themes
Then, P-Nut and three “big homies” park outside and come into the store. P-Nut teases Maverick about cleaning the windows and asks if he’s Mr. Neat. When Maverick says it’s Mr. Clean, P-Nut says he doesn’t care about “technicalisms.” As P-Nut grabs snacks, Maverick thinks that P-Nut should know about Red. But when he starts to bring it up, P-Nut says he doesn’t want to talk about “operationaltivities.” Maverick starts to ring up P-Nut’s snacks, reminds him they don’t take bills over $50, and then says that he saw Red with Dre’s watch.
P-Nut seems to look down on Maverick working in Mr. Wyatt’s store. He sees tasks like cleaning the glass as beneath him and other gangsters—which is why he tries to insult Maverick by calling him Mr. Neat. But though P-Nut is rude and abrasive, Maverick still knows that he’s the crown of the King Lords and, therefore, is someone he should be able to trust.
Themes
P-Nut is unconcerned and insists that Red couldn’t have killed Dre—he’s weak, like Maverick. P-Nut tells Maverick to be grateful he’s respecting Dre’s wishes to keep Maverick out of it, or Maverick would be dealing now. When Maverick keeps pushing, P-Nut and the “big homies” give Maverick a threatening look. Maverick stays silent until they leave. Now, he’s not sure he can depend on the gang.
P-Nut’s response lets Maverick know that there’s no one to look out for him in the gang, now that Shawn and Dre are gone. P-Nut makes it very clear that the moment he gets tired of letting Maverick try his hand at honest work, he can force him to start selling again. This reminds Maverick that he also doesn’t have any power within the gang.
Themes
