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Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Police Brutality, Corruption, and Systemic Racism
Healing, Progress, and Collective Consciousness
Justice, Perspective, and Ambiguity
Individuals vs. Institutions
Action vs. Symbolic Gesture
Summary
Analysis
Smith interviews An anonymous young Black man who is a gang member. The man sits in his mother’s fancy apartment building. He’s been living with her since his recent release from jail. He remarks how the respect a lot of the gang members used to have for their elders is absent in the newer gang members. When the police accost these young men now, the old folks don’t come out to protest like they used to. There was more respect in the Valley, though, where the man was surrounded by rivals.
The man’s remarks about the lack of respect in younger generations of gang members and diminished care from elders reflects a broader sense of despair and helplessness among communities where gang activity combined with violent policing put the area in a constant state of instability and crisis.
Themes
The man remembers how he and his brother used to call themselves the Blues Brothers, after the blue rags they wore on their heads. They walk through the Bloods’ neighborhoods, casually calling to them, “What’s up cuz?” The Bloods normally wouldn’t bother them, because they knew the man carried a gun. Some would comment back, remarking, “well, he ain’t fixin’ ta shoot me in this broad daylight.” When this happened, the man would shoot at them. The man’s actions garnered him a reputation.
The man’s ruthlessness and comfort with shooting others illustrates his desperation. It also shows how the will to survive encourages young people to turn to violence, crime, and gang affiliation. The man gains a reputation because doing so helps him survive; he’s not committing violence for the sake of violence alone.
Themes
Smith changes the topic, asking the man about his favorite song. He tells her he likes oldies, and his favorite song is “Am I Dreamin’?” by Atlantic Star.
The romantic lyrics of the Atlantic Star song clash with the tough picture the man just painted of himself. This complicates the audience image of him, humanizing him. The reasons people turn to crime are complex, systemic, and varied—and the people who turn to crime are, in fact, people.
Themes
