Essay Questions

What are the common issues discussed by LaValle in ‘Slapboxing Jesus’?

The author's four significant issues are bigotry, poverty, religious conviction, and social class. The children born in minority groups are less privileged because they belong to low-income families. Racial discrimination is the leading cause of poverty among minority groups. People belonging to minority groups do not have equal rights to opportunities. The predominant whites have taken all the well-paying jobs leaving the minority groups with manual jobs that cannot elevate them from poverty. Therefore, people are classified according to social classes. The minority groups belong to the low class, and they live in neighborhoods that do not have all the basic essentials. The predominant whites live in higher social classes with good educations systems, good hospitals, and good infrastructure. Similarly, the author discussed the issue of religion in which he concludes that it has nothing to offer except hope.

How are boys prepared to face the world, according to the author?

The entire collection in 'Slapboxing Jesus' emphasizes how boys are prepared to face the future as mature men. Elders are in the front line in constantly reminding men of their role in society. For instance, it is the responsibility of the man to protect and provide for his family. The author makes the readers aware that men are supposed to do what is expected of them by society. Consequently, all men are challenged to be responsible at all times.

What interconnects LaValle’s twelve short stories?

The twelve short stories are characterized by comicality, violence, and bad experiences that they experience as they grow up in their environment. The youth are vulnerable because they come from low-income family backgrounds, which pushes them comic and violent as they try to keep themselves busy. Consequently, young men from minority groups have no equal access to a good education. Many of them end up in drug abuse, motivating them to engage in violent activities, including crime. The author argues that the city in which the youth live is brutal and ready to destroy them as they come of age.