The Lesson

by

Toni Cade Bambara

Flyboy Character Analysis

Flyboy is one of the kids in Miss Moore’s group. He is poor like the other children and claims that he’s homeless, but Sylvia implies that he only says this to make people feel sorry for him. At one point in the narration, Sylvia uses a homophobic slur to describe Flyboy because he doesn’t mind the girls putting lipstick on him.

Flyboy Quotes in The Lesson

The The Lesson quotes below are all either spoken by Flyboy or refer to Flyboy. 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:
Wealth, Poverty, and Inequality Theme Icon
).
The Lesson Quotes

“At home, then,” she say. “Don’t you have a calendar and a pencil case and a blotter and a letter-opener on your desk at home where you do your homework?” And she know damn well what our homes look like cause she nosys around in them every chance she gets.

“I don’t even have a desk,” say Junebug. “Do we?”

“No. And I don’t get no homework neither,” say Big Butt.

“And I don’t even have a home,” say Flyboy like he do at school to keep the white folks off his back and sorry for him. Send this poor kid to camp posters, is his specialty.

“I do,” says Mercedes. “I have a box of stationery on my desk and a picture of my cat. My godmother bought the stationery and the desk. There’s a big rose on each sheet and the envelopes smell like roses.”

“Who wants to know about your smelly-ass stationery,” say Rosie Giraffe fore I can get my two cents in.

Related Characters: Sylvia (speaker), Miss Moore (speaker), Mercedes (speaker), Rosie Giraffe (speaker), Flyboy (speaker), Big Butt (speaker), Junebug (speaker)
Page Number: 91
Explanation and Analysis:

So once again we tumble all over each other to gaze at this magnificent thing in the toy store which is just big enough to maybe sail two kittens across the pond if you strap them to the posts tight. We all start reciting the price tag like we in assembly. “Handcrafted sailboat of fiberglass at one thousand one hundred ninety-five dollars.”

“Unbelievable,” I hear myself say and am really stunned. I read it again for myself just in case the group recitation put me in a trance. Same thing. For some reason this pisses me off. We look at Miss Moore and she lookin at us, waiting for I dunno what.

Related Characters: Sylvia (speaker), Miss Moore, Flyboy
Related Symbols: The Toy Sailboat
Page Number: 91-92
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Lesson PDF

Flyboy Quotes in The Lesson

The The Lesson quotes below are all either spoken by Flyboy or refer to Flyboy. 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:
Wealth, Poverty, and Inequality Theme Icon
).
The Lesson Quotes

“At home, then,” she say. “Don’t you have a calendar and a pencil case and a blotter and a letter-opener on your desk at home where you do your homework?” And she know damn well what our homes look like cause she nosys around in them every chance she gets.

“I don’t even have a desk,” say Junebug. “Do we?”

“No. And I don’t get no homework neither,” say Big Butt.

“And I don’t even have a home,” say Flyboy like he do at school to keep the white folks off his back and sorry for him. Send this poor kid to camp posters, is his specialty.

“I do,” says Mercedes. “I have a box of stationery on my desk and a picture of my cat. My godmother bought the stationery and the desk. There’s a big rose on each sheet and the envelopes smell like roses.”

“Who wants to know about your smelly-ass stationery,” say Rosie Giraffe fore I can get my two cents in.

Related Characters: Sylvia (speaker), Miss Moore (speaker), Mercedes (speaker), Rosie Giraffe (speaker), Flyboy (speaker), Big Butt (speaker), Junebug (speaker)
Page Number: 91
Explanation and Analysis:

So once again we tumble all over each other to gaze at this magnificent thing in the toy store which is just big enough to maybe sail two kittens across the pond if you strap them to the posts tight. We all start reciting the price tag like we in assembly. “Handcrafted sailboat of fiberglass at one thousand one hundred ninety-five dollars.”

“Unbelievable,” I hear myself say and am really stunned. I read it again for myself just in case the group recitation put me in a trance. Same thing. For some reason this pisses me off. We look at Miss Moore and she lookin at us, waiting for I dunno what.

Related Characters: Sylvia (speaker), Miss Moore, Flyboy
Related Symbols: The Toy Sailboat
Page Number: 91-92
Explanation and Analysis: