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Chapter 5
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Ghost, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Running and Trauma
Poverty
Friendship
Arrogance and Humility
Summary
Analysis
After escaping from Mr. Charles’s storage room, Ghost realizes he lost track of time and is going to be late for practice. He runs as fast as he can over to the practice field where he sees everyone else already warming up. He puts his new shoes on and then goes to stand with the team. Several of his new teammates notice his new shoes right away. After a moment, Coach Brody also notices the shoes and, when he sees them, he gets a confused look on his face. Coach Brody tells everyone that, since it is Thursday, it is time for the team’s long run. Then, he walks away without further explanation. When Ghost asks where he is going, Aaron tells him that Coach Brody is going to get the Motivation Mobile.
The look on Coach Brody’s face suggests that Ghost is going to have to explain where his new, expensive shoes came from. Coach Brody knows Ghost’s mother is not a wealthy woman and would therefore find it difficult to pay for such a nice pair of shoes. However, for the moment, Ghost is on top of the world because everyone else on the team can look at his shoes and admire them. Unlike his previous practice, he is the object of everyone’s envy, rather than their derision.
Themes
Moments later, everyone is running behind Coach Whit, who leads the team around the streets. For the first several minutes of the run, Ghost feels like he is doing well, especially since he is tired from running to practice. However, before long, he and the other sprinters begin to fall behind because they are not used to such long distances. Then, Ghost begins to fall behind his fellow sprinters as well.
Ghost quickly learns that his new shoes do not count for much on long run day. Although he may look more glamorous than he did yesterday, he still ends up in last place. In part, his position is a reflection of having to run to practice, but it is also yet another instance of Ghost feeling overly confident in his abilities.
Themes
As soon as Ghost starts to trail everyone else, he finds out what Aaron meant by the Motivation Mobile. Coach Brody drives up behind Ghost in his cab, honks his horn, and tells Ghost to pick up the pace. It makes Ghost feel like he is being pursued—which is a feeling he has had most of the day—and it helps him go faster. Although Ghost never manages to catch everyone else, he never stops running either and eventually finishes the long run.
The Motivation Mobile is useful for Ghost because he is used to thinking of running in terms of something or someone pursuing him. He taps into his past experiences and uses them as fuel to keep himself going. Although the run is difficult, Ghost manages to finish, giving him a sense of accomplishment.
Themes
After the run is over, only Sunny is still able to comfortably stand. When Coach Brody asks Coach Whit who was most impressive, she tells him that Sunny stayed with her the whole time. Everyone congratulates Sunny on a job well done. Lu also lightly compliments Ghost for not giving up, which Ghost appreciates. After practice, Coach Brody tells all of the new members of the team that he is going to take them all out for Chinese food in a few days; it is a bonding ritual that he does every year.
The first time Ghost saw the Defenders meet for practice, Sunny was the person that everyone else laughed at because of his poor sprinting performance. However, here, he’s better everyone else on the team. Sunny’s performance in the long run demonstrates the purpose and value of teamwork; that is, different people bring different skills to the table.
Themes
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Then, Coach Brody drives Ghost home. On the way, he questions Ghost about his new shoes. Ghost lies and says his mother bought them for him as a way to motivate him to stay out of trouble. Ghost cannot tell if Coach Brody believes his lie, but he does not push him any further. Ghost changes out of the new shoes in the cab, so his mother will not see them when he walks in the door. At home, Ghost and Terri eat Salisbury steak leftovers that Terri brought home from her job at the hospital cafeteria. Afterwards, Terri watches Love Jones, her favorite movie, while Ghost flips through his copy of The Guinness Book of World Records.
Although Ghost’s lie temporarily deals with the issue of the new shoes, it is a fragile invention that will not hold up under scrutiny should Coach Brody wish to pursue it. In part, Coach Brody likely does not push the issue because he does not want to make a big deal of Ghost’s poverty. However, Ghost does not even consider Coach Brody’s motivation; he is simply glad that his fib worked.
Themes
