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Chapter 21
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 get Red out of his mind. At school, as he waits to meet with Mr. Clayton to discuss his “future,” he thinks about Red—and about the fact that his future will probably include summer school. Mr. Clayton interrupts Maverick’s thoughts and calls him into the office. As Maverick shakes the counselor’s hand, he thinks of Mr. Wyatt saying you can tell a lot about a man by his handshake. Mr. Clayton’s handshake is strong—he “don’t take no mess.” Maverick takes a seat and looks around at the framed portraits of “important-looking Black people,” like Malcolm X and Huey Newton. Pops introduced Maverick to those men, but Maverick has never heard them mentioned in history class.
Reflecting on Mr. Wyatt’s advice about handshakes again shows how much Maverick respects and trusts him. Seeing men like Huey Newton and Malcolm X in Mr. Clayton’s office also shows Maverick that there are some adults in the school who might think the way Pops does and want kids to learn about “important-looking Black people.” But the fact that Maverick didn’t learn about these men in his history classes shows that on the whole, the school isn’t effectively supporting or inspiring its Black students.
Themes
Mr. Clayton pulls out a file folder and says he’s heard Maverick has experienced some “life-changing developments.” Maverick waits for Mr. Clayton to look at him like he’s “trash” like other adults do when they learn he has two kids. But Mr. Clayton says he’s here to help, not judge. Mr. Clayton notes that Maverick’s grades have suffered, and Maverick replies that he’s not dumb. Mr. Clayton asks why Maverick’s grades don’t reflect that and notes that some teen parents get good grades. He also says that this isn’t something Maverick can fix with summer school—he’s going to have to repeat 12th grade.
As soon as Mr. Clayton brings up the fact that Maverick has a son and a baby on the way, Maverick is on edge. He’s so used to adults looking down on him because he’s a father that it’s hard for him to trust that Mr. Clayton won’t be the same. So, because Maverick is already on edge, it’s even harder for him to hear the bad news that he can’t graduate this year. Now, it seems like he’s been struggling at school for no reason.
Themes
Maverick protests, but Mr. Clayton asks why he cares so much now, when he didn’t care the rest of the school year. Maverick decides he doesn’t care and stands up to leave, so Mr. Clayton says his other option is to get his GED. He passes Maverick a pamphlet about the GED program for adults—and Maverick realizes that he’s not a kid anymore. A diploma or GED, Mr. Clayton says, will help Maverick provide for his kids. Maverick accepts the pamphlet, but he decides this is all pointless. He throws it away on his way out the building. Diplomas or GEDs don’t seem to make life easier—Ma, for one, doesn’t make enough money even with a diploma. It’s time for him to focus on making money.
Though Mr. Clayton insists that a high school diploma or a GED are the only avenues Maverick has to making money, Maverick sees things differently. He’s watched Ma struggle for years now to keep the lights on with honest work and a diploma; clearly, education isn’t always enough. When he says it’s time to focus on “making money,” it implies that Maverick is going to double down on drug-dealing. Maverick knows he can make good money that way—and without any education, that seems like his only option.
Themes
Maverick heads to King’s apartment, where Iesha answers his knock. She says that King went to get breakfast, and she rubs her belly—she’s pregnant, and this baby is actually King’s. Maverick asks if she’s trying to replace Seven, and Iesha retorts by asking if Maverick was trying to do the same thing when he got Lisa pregnant. She spits that she loves Seven and needs to see him more often.
Iesha seems to genuinely want to have a family with King. Her new pregnancy makes an already complicated family situation even more complicated, especially since Maverick sees it as a slight against Seven. His priority is his son—and he sees Iesha’s pregnancy as showing that she doesn’t prioritize Seven the way he does.
Themes
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King pulls into the drive, and Iesha huffs into the apartment. He greets Maverick, and when Maverick asks for more product to sell, King says he has a lot for him. King leads him inside and gives Iesha a McDonald’s bag. She heads to the bedroom to eat, and King shakes his head. Maverick doesn’t want to hear about how good King’s new product is and he insists that nothing is wrong; he just wants product so he can leave. The boys argue about Maverick’s behavior for a minute, and then King says that they’re friends and asks what’s wrong. Maverick realizes he has no one to talk to aside from King.
Maverick is in such a bad mood because it seems like his life is falling apart again. He’s not going to graduate, Iesha isn’t going to have time for Seven, and Lisa still doesn’t want to be with him. But King makes it clear that despite their differences and their struggles to connect over the last few months, he’s still here for Maverick. Maverick isn’t alone—he still has his friends.
Themes
With a sigh, Maverick says he can’t graduate. King agrees that repeating 12th grade is a waste of time and counsels Maverick to focus on selling drugs—he’ll be able to make more money that way. Maverick already knows this, but he thinks he also wants to keep his promise to Dre—selling drugs is only temporary for him. King assures Maverick that he's not upset, and Maverick feels stupid for thinking he was. As King digs into his fries, he asks what else is bugging Maverick. Maverick tells King he saw Red wearing Dre’s watch, and that P-Nut didn’t care. King and Maverick make fun of P-Nut, and then King asks if Maverick knows what this means. Maverick does: he has to kill Red.
King has already been out of school for a year, since the novel gives no indication that he enrolled elsewhere after being expelled last year. He’s been doing well financially since getting expelled, so in his experience, school isn’t a necessity. But Maverick again finds himself stuck between wanting to support his growing family and wanting to make Dre proud. Drugs might make him money—but he also realizes that drugs aren’t a long-term solution to his troubles.
Themes
