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In Ghost Boys, the toy gun that Carlos gives to Jerome represents how fear and racism cause people to misperceive boys of color as dangerous adult men, not as the children they are, and to damage or end the boys’ childhoods as a result. Ghost Boys first mentions the toy gun immediately after Officer Moore shoots 12-year-old Jerome to death. It excerpts from a Chicago Tribute article that quotes Officer Moore as saying he had to shoot Jerome because Jerome was in possession of a gun. The article excerpt, however, fails to mention that Jerome’s “gun” was a toy. This omission subtly suggests that the newspaper is willing to represent Officer Moore’s fear of Jerome as reasonable even though that fear is based on irrational, racist stereotypes about dangerous Black males and leads Officer Moore to fatally shoot an unarmed child.
In flashbacks, Ghost Boys reveals that the toy gun belongs to Carlos, a new boy in Jerome’s class at school. Carlos uses the gun to save himself and Carlos from a beating by Jerome’s seventh-grade bullies, Eddie, Mike, and Snap, who like Officer Moore misperceive the toy as a real firearm. This incident shows that these seventh-grade boys’ childhood is tainted by fear and violence: it’s implied that because the poor school district cannot afford to hire enough staff to adequately supervise all students, no adults have intervened in the regular beatings bullies inflict on Jerome. Further, the bullies themselves are so primed to believe a classmate might shoot them that they are easily fooled by Carlos’s toy. Later that day, Carlos offers to lend Jerome the toy to cement their friendship, and Jerome—in what should be a harmless childhood rebellion—takes it even though his Ma and Pop would disapprove because he wants to have fun and misbehave for once. Officer Moore, responding to a 911 call, shoots Jerome after misperceiving short, skinny Jerome as an adult man and mistaking Jerome’s play with the toy gun as Jerome brandishing a real firearm. Jerome dies for acting like a child, and the police officer who kills him sees him as an adult—two details that emphasize how boys of color often aren’t seen as children or allowed to act like children.
Toy Gun Quotes in Ghost Boys
The Ghost Boys quotes below all refer to the symbol of Toy Gun. 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:
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Dead (p. 21–31)
Quotes
“Emmett. Just like Emmett Till,” says Grandma. “He was a Chicago boy, too.”
“This isn’t 1955,” says Reverend, calming.
“Tamir Rice, then,” shouts Pop. “2014. He died in Cleveland. Another boy shot just because he’s black.”
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Dead (p. 49–53)
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“Black lives matter!” someone hollers.
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Alive (p. 75–80)
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I’m always good. (Teasing Kim doesn’t count.) I say what Grandma wants to hear. Calm her and Ma. Watch out for Kim. Play Minecraft for just an hour. (Okay, sometimes two.) Do my homework. Even act nice when Mr. Myers isn’t asking me (he’s asking the whole class!) to welcome the new kid. Sucker. That’s me. Why can’t I have some fun? Pretend I’m a rebel in Rogue One?
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Dead (p. 85–191)
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“You’re the Chicago boy? Murdered like me?”
“1955. Down South.”
Everybody knew the South was dangerous then.”
“Still is,” answers Emmett.
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“I was in fear for my life,” he says, more forcefully.
If I were alive, my whole body would be trembling. Officer Moore speaks (I think) a truth he believes. When truth’s a feeling, can it be both? Both true and untrue?
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“An emergency nine-one-one call, a young man with a realistic-looking gun, a concern for public safety, and an officer’s fear for his life are all facts I’ve considered.
“In the opinion of this court, there is not enough evidence to charge Officer Moore with excessive force, manslaughter, or murder.”
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Scornful, Emmett boasts. “Life’s different in Chicago. I talk with white people all the time.”
“No, you don’t,” scolds Simeon.
“I do. I’ll show you.” He heads toward the store.
“Don’t,” says Simeon.
“Think I’m scared?”
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Emmett murmurs, “Bear witness.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Everyone needs their story heard. Felt. We honor each other. Connect across time.”
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“I was ashamed.”
“Never be. You’re a good son. Everyone gets scared sometimes. It’s how you handle it that matters.”
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“Can’t undo wrong. Can only do our best to make things right.”
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Get the entire Ghost Boys LitChart as a printable PDF.
Toy Gun Symbol Timeline in Ghost Boys
The timeline below shows where the symbol Toy Gun appears in Ghost Boys. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Dead (p. 3–5)
The second policeman, holding his gun loosely, fidgets. The first police officer, still looking at Ma suspiciously, yells at people taking...
(full context)
Alive (p. 35–44)
...telling anybody anything.” Suddenly, Carlos says “Muerto”—and all the boys see that he’s holding a gun.
(full context)
Dead (p. 49–53)
...whether he feared for his life and whether he was surprised to learn that Jerome’s gun was a toy. Officer Moore says yes: Jerome was threatening him with the gun. Jerome,...
(full context)
Alive (p. 57–59)
December 8. Gun. Carlos aims the gun at the bullies, demanding that they go away. Mike claims that what they did was...
(full context)
...angry Ma and Grandma will be if they find out he was close to a gun—moves for the door. Carlos, stopping him, tells him the gun isn’t real. A lightbulb goes...
(full context)
Alive (p. 75–80)
...a friend and didn’t get beaten up. He’s also worried: he doesn’t have a toy gun to protect himself in the future.
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...runs outside to meet Kim. Carlos follows him and asks to hang out. Pulling the gun far enough from his pocket that Jerome can see, he suggests that they pretend they’re...
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...introduces himself as Jerome’s friend, which makes Kim smile happily. Then he offers Jerome the gun—which makes Kim back up. Carlos reassures her that it’s just a toy. Carlos is about...
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...he can’t cut loose and pretend to be a Rogue One rebel—or even use the gun to ward off Eddie if he tries to beat Jerome up on the walk home...
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Carlos tells Jerome and Kim that it’s fine and puts the toy gun back in his pocket, but Jerome tells Carlos that he wants it. Carlos, smiling, stealthily...
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Dead (p. 85–191)
...remembers lying on the ground, unable to move his head to see where the toy gun landed but hearing Ma and Kim screaming. Sarah finds an article that claims the EMTs...
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...woman who says that a caller told her “a boy, no, a man” had a gun. The lawyer points out that the call transcript contains the phrase “toy gun” and asks...
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...lawyer asks him whether he told Jerome he was police, asked Jerome to drop the gun, or asked Jerome to put up his hands. Officer Moore says no to each question....
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...death was a horrible, regrettable event—but given the difficulties inherent to policing, Jerome’s “realistic-looking” toy gun, and Officer Moore’s “fear for his life,” the judge has decided not to charge Officer...
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...it’s fine and takes Kim’s hand. Jerome fears that Carlos will pull out another toy gun, which might put Kim in danger if police officers arrive.
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...thinks that Kim is correct: Carlos has to tell his own story about the toy gun to Grandma, in the same way that Emmett Till will eventually tell his own story...
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Jerome keeps seeing ghosts, including one, holding a toy gun, who might be “Tamir.” The ghosts make him think that people’s lives never really terminate....
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...sits on the bed and hugs him, Carlos admits everything that happened with the toy gun. When Carlos’s father looks infuriated, Carlos apologizes—but then Carlos’s father says that Carlos “shouldn’t have...
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...“good friend.” Carlos says he was—and then he blurts that he gave Jerome the toy gun, because he wanted to be “nice” to Jerome the way Jerome had been to him....
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...Jerome never got to have “much fun,” Grandma guesses that Kim knew about the toy gun. When Kim looks ashamed, Carlos jumps in to say that she tried to stop him...
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...While he, Grandma, and Kim eat, he apologizes for not admitting he gave Jerome the gun sooner because he was ashamed. He credits Kim’s faith in him for making him courageous...
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Alive (p. 195–198)
That Day. Jerome is happily playing outside with the toy gun. He imagines he’s a famous actor pretending to be a science-fiction police officer shooting lasers...
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A car rushes toward Jerome. He starts sprinting away when two gunshots ring out. Jerome falls and watches his blood turn the snow around him red. Though...
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