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Martel
Dwight, the novel’s primary antagonist, is Mama’s abusive live-in boyfriend and Dasia and Gabe’s father. Though he’s not a big man, he’s powerful and violent—he regularly leaves Mama covered in bruises or in need of a wrist brace. His violence also extends to the children; Quan hides Dasia and Gabe in the closet to protect them, and the one time Quan attempted to intervene, Dwight through him into the dining table. In addition to his physical violence, Dwight uses fear, intimidation, and financial pressure to control Mama and the children. He constantly threatens violence, requires payment for any perceived offense, and even steals Mama’s EBT (food stamps) card, thereby taking control of whether or not the family eats. From conversations he overhears, Quan ascertains that Dwight believes Daddy left Mama money and that Mama is hiding it. Throughout the novel, Quan refuses to see Dwight as human. Instead, Quan thinks of Dwight as a Black version of Count Olaf, the antagonist of the A Series of Unfortunate Events novels. Once Martel catches wind of Dwight’s abuse, he has Dwight murdered. While this frees Mama from his abuse, Quan sees it as the end of his life as he knows it. With Dwight’s murder, Quan feels like he has no choice but to stay with Black Jihad and continue to demonstrate his loyalty.
Dwight Quotes in Dear Justyce
The Dear Justyce quotes below are all either spoken by Dwight or refer to Dwight. 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:
).
Chapter 2: Downhill
Quotes
Even at twelve, it didn’t escape Quan’s notice that the men in his mama’s life—Daddy included—used money to get her to do what they wanted her to do. It bothered him no end. But he wasn’t sure what he could do about it.
Which became a running theme: not knowing what he could do about anything.
So he stayed focused.
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Chapter 3: Disrespect
Quotes
So he told Mama—who for the first time wasn’t healing from a COAN encounter—that he was going out.
And he headed to his former favorite playground place.
Stepping over the latest evidence of unsavory activity inside his rocket ship (at least there wouldn’t be any babies or diseases?), Quan climbed up to the observation deck. Largely to hide himself from anyone who might take issue with/make fun of an almost-thirteen-year-old hanging out in the grounded space vessel.
But once he got up there, Quan relaxed so much, he fell asleep.
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Chapter 4: Defiance
Quotes
“Delinquent Junior,”
Dwight had been calling him for years.
Was that who he was for real?
There was no denying the impulse to take what wasn’t his. Was the D in his DNA for delinquent? The Jr. shorthand of “Junior” for just repeating?
Maybe Daddy had been wrong. Ms. Mays too.
There was no way out.
No way up.
Maybe a way through...but he had no idea what to.
Could he really be anyone different than who he was?
Who even was he?
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Snapshot: A Boy Alone on a Run-Down Playground (2017)
Quotes
Quan’s gaze drops. Lands on a word carved into one of the bench’s wooden slats in little-kid lettering:
F U K C
What are kids like Quan supposed to do?
He swipes at his dampening eyes and shifts them back to the black hole where his galactic getaway vehicle used to be.
Dwight is dead.
And Quan is here. Stuck. Grounded.
Forever.
No getting out.
No flying away.
No lifting off.
Because Dwight’s death wasn’t an accident.
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Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Dear Justyce LitChart as a printable PDF.
Dwight Quotes in Dear Justyce
The Dear Justyce quotes below are all either spoken by Dwight or refer to Dwight. 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:
).
Chapter 2: Downhill
Quotes
Even at twelve, it didn’t escape Quan’s notice that the men in his mama’s life—Daddy included—used money to get her to do what they wanted her to do. It bothered him no end. But he wasn’t sure what he could do about it.
Which became a running theme: not knowing what he could do about anything.
So he stayed focused.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3: Disrespect
Quotes
So he told Mama—who for the first time wasn’t healing from a COAN encounter—that he was going out.
And he headed to his former favorite playground place.
Stepping over the latest evidence of unsavory activity inside his rocket ship (at least there wouldn’t be any babies or diseases?), Quan climbed up to the observation deck. Largely to hide himself from anyone who might take issue with/make fun of an almost-thirteen-year-old hanging out in the grounded space vessel.
But once he got up there, Quan relaxed so much, he fell asleep.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 4: Defiance
Quotes
“Delinquent Junior,”
Dwight had been calling him for years.
Was that who he was for real?
There was no denying the impulse to take what wasn’t his. Was the D in his DNA for delinquent? The Jr. shorthand of “Junior” for just repeating?
Maybe Daddy had been wrong. Ms. Mays too.
There was no way out.
No way up.
Maybe a way through...but he had no idea what to.
Could he really be anyone different than who he was?
Who even was he?
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Snapshot: A Boy Alone on a Run-Down Playground (2017)
Quotes
Quan’s gaze drops. Lands on a word carved into one of the bench’s wooden slats in little-kid lettering:
F U K C
What are kids like Quan supposed to do?
He swipes at his dampening eyes and shifts them back to the black hole where his galactic getaway vehicle used to be.
Dwight is dead.
And Quan is here. Stuck. Grounded.
Forever.
No getting out.
No flying away.
No lifting off.
Because Dwight’s death wasn’t an accident.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
