Bad Boy: A Memoir Literary Elements

Memoir

Harlem, early twentieth century through the 1980s

The narrator is the author, Walter Dean Myers, and he tells the tale of his life from his own perspective.

There are various tones and moods throughout the memoir. It is nostalgic and reminiscent, with a happy tone and mood. The feeling is of overall happiness. There are also moments filled with frustration and resentment. There is both a sense of hopelessness and a sense of hope.

Myers, the author, is the protagonist. In elementary school, the kids bullying him are the antagonists.

There is a conflict between Myers and the kids who are bullying him in elementary school; they have chosen to pick on him because he has a speech impediment and he is also unable to verbally stand up for himself because of this, which makes him frustrated and he finds the only way he has of defending himself is with his fists.

Myers realizes that his experiences as a black child growing up in America are what will enable him to write books for young adults.

Myers' knowledge that he will not be able to attend college because it is too expensive for his family to afford foreshadows his increased frustration and self-imposed isolation from friends whom he feels can never understand his life situation because it is so different from theirs.

Myers describes how he realizes that his experiences growing up will help him to be a better writer but this Is an understatement because it is describing those experiences. Basing characters on the kind of disillusioned and misunderstood young men that Myers once was that has made him one of the most prolific and successful writers of young adult fiction of his generation.

Myers alludes to the Vietnam War but does not describe any of his military experiences in detail. In fact, he alludes to his military career without going into any detail about it.

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Myers' mother is passionate about linguistics and reading and passes the same love to her son, but the more he learns and the more adept with the language he becomes, the love that used to bring them closer together begins to create a distance between them.

There is a parallel between Myers' success with his speech therapy and his increased self-esteem and ability to learn.

"Bullies" is the term used to represent the individual kids in his class who are bullying Myers.

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