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Chapter 17
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Outcasts United, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Refugees, Discrimination, and Resilience
Community and Teamwork vs. Division
Leadership and Respect
Discipline, Dedication, and Success
Summary
Analysis
Luma has a discussion with her players about the dangers of gangs. The boys recognize that people join gangs for protection and belonging, because of their race, or because of money. But Luma emphasizes the things that make a gang different from something like the Fugees: they are violent, they make their members do dangerous work, and they are nearly impossible to escape. She comes up with strategies with her players on the best ways to avoid gangs.
Luma draws comparisons between gangs and the Fugees—both come with a sense of belonging, protection, responsibility, and honor. But with her guidance, the Fugees ultimately coming to the conclusion that gangs serve to divide and instigate violence and are nearly impossible to escape, while the Fugees are a supportive community.
Themes
Luma says she understands the appeal of gangs, particularly in terms of having protection when walking down the street. But she tells them that there are other ways of feeling safe, like calling the police. She also says, “If you keep getting beat up on the same road, take a different road.”
Luma continues to help her players in many aspects of their lives, guiding them away from gangs and helping to instruct them on what to do if they are confronted by gang members.
Themes
This leads Luma to her segue that the Fugees have a new home field at Milam Park. It is flat, has grass, and no other soccer teams. She emphasizes, however, that this privilege comes with a responsibility. They have to use the field well, keep it clean, and respect the neighborhood it’s in so that they can continue to use the field.
The new field finally allows the Fugees to feel like they have some support within the community. But Luma also takes the opportunity to remind the boys that they have to remain disciplined and responsible if they want to continue to use the field.
Themes
When the boys arrive at Armistead field, they can hardly believe how nice it is: soft grass covering the surface, trees surrounding the area with a nice hill to watch the games, and a chain link fence protecting the boundary. “The beauty of the Fugees’ new home [is] so extraordinary that it almost seem[s] like a joke.” When one boy comments that they should chase the nearby deer, another replies, “Nah […] We’re not in Africa anymore.”
The reference to Africa serves as a callback to Bien’s thoughts about the earlier, gravelly field, which he thought could have been in Africa. This comparison demonstrates how the Fugees have been able (at least temporarily) to find a field that makes them feel at home, instead of being displaced and treated like afterthoughts.
Themes
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