Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes Literary Analysis Essay Sample

Police are supposed to keep everyone guarded and make our environment safer for everyone to be guided equally. Sadly, Jerome and many others left this world too early and didn't get the chance to see the good side of a police officer. The novel Ghost Boys, by Jewell Parker Rhodes, is about a young boy named Jerome who was playing with a toy gun on a winter day. As Jerome was playing, a white policeman suspected that the toy gun was a real one. The policeman rolls onto the playground and shoots Jerome dead. This wasn't the end of Jerome's life. Jerome doesn't disappear; he remains on earth as a ghost. Jerome as a ghost explains his experience and what he has to go through. Jerome's story shows the relationship change throughout the book with all the characters. Jerome shows the theme of guilt vs forgiveness. The story of Jerome shows Officer Moore's daughter Sarah is sorrowful for Jerome, Carlos feels guilt forgiving Jerome the toy gun and Jerome shows forgiveness for  Officer Moore.   

The first character in the book Ghost Boys, that shows the theme of guilt vs forgiveness is Jerome. Jerome began his story by having so much hate toward Officer Moore and his family. Jerome was very aggrieved at Officer Moore for assuming that he had a “Gun” and thought that Jerome was trying to show harm. But in the end, Jerome felt forgiveness for Officer Moore and his family. Jerome noticed that Officer Moore's family relationship had changed significantly. Officer Moore's daughter Sarah had started to dislike her father for letting racism affect him and for shooting a young innocent child while he was playing in a playground with a toy gun. Jerome didn't want Officer Moore's daughter to keep hating him. Jerome convinced Sarah that hating her father isn't going to make a difference. In the book, Jerome stated “NO I do not hate your dad you shouldn't either. Sarah responds “He killed you” Jerome “He made a mistake.”(Page 175) This quote shows Jerome telling her that he doesn't have any hate toward her dad. He is just angry about how many people have been killed for the same reason. Color of your skin. This is how Jerome shows the theme of guilt vs forgiveness throughout the book. 

The second character that also shows the theme of guilt vs forgiveness from the book Ghost Boys is Sarah. At the beginning of the book, Sarah believed that her father Officer Moore was doing the right thing and was just doing his job. But, when Sarah sees the videotape of the incident her view of her father quickly changes. Sarah began to abhor and lose faith in her father. Sarah was so upset with her father that she didn't want to see or talk to him. She felt downhearted for Jerome and what his father is going through. In the Ghost Boys, it shows Sarah's reaction to the videotape of the tragedy. Sarah's face bleaks “I’m so sorry, Jerome so, so sorry. If I could I would hug you. Bring you back to life.” (page 109) This quote shows Sarah is very sad for Jerome and she is wishing that she can be brought back to this world. What makes things worse about Sarah’s relationship with her father is when they go to court her father Officer Moore would make up lies about Jerome. Like once he said that Jerome was  “pointing the gun toward him” or that “Jerome was threatening him.” But, things changed when Jerome talked to her to not keep hating her dad, hating him isn't going to make a difference. After Jerome talked to her she went and talked to her father and explained that she shouldn't have hated him. This is how Sarah showed the theme of guilt vs forgiveness. 

The third character that also shows the theme of guilt vs forgiveness is Carlos. Jerome befriended Carlos at school when Carlos was the new kid. Jerome knew that the bullies would bully Carlos so Jerome unknowingly showed Carlos the way to avoid the bullies. Jerome and Carlos spend their lunch period in the bathroom and become friends but when the bullies discovered the bathroom Carlos and Jerome were eating lunch, the bullies were about to beat Carlos. But surprisingly, Carlos pulled a “gun” on the bullies to scare them away. Eventually, after the bullies ran away Carlos told Jerome the “gun” isn't real it is just a toy. Carlos insisted to Jerome to take the toy gun and play with it then return it the next day. Jerome took the offer and was more than happy to get a chance to have fun. That afternoon, when Jerome's grandma told him to go outside to play, Jerome took the gun and started playing with the gun by himself. As Jerome was playing a police officer came up and shot Jerome dead. When Carlos finds out he felt very guilty but didn't tell the Jerome family about who gave him the gun. He became close friends with Jerome's sister Kim and he tried to help them out of their situation. A couple of months later Carlos' relationship with Jerome's sister and her grandma got stronger. Carlos gained the courage to confirm Jerome’s family about who gave Jerome the “Gun.” Carlos was very nervous about telling Jerome's family he thought that telling them would change their relationship. Carlos stated “I just wanted Jerome to have some fun. Play. He’d been nice to me and I wanted to be nice back, Carlos burst into tears.”( page 173)This shows Carlos' conversation with Jerome's grandma and his sister telling them how much he regrets giving Jerome the toy gun and he didn't want to cost any problems. Jerome's family didn't get enraged at Carlos at all. They don't blame Carlos for any of this. This is how Carlos also showed the theme of guilt vs Forgiveness.

The novel Ghost Boys proves that forgiveness is always the greatest. You can’t change what happened to you in the past. Jerome began the story by having so much hate toward Officer Moore but soon realized that hating him isn't going to make a difference, it's just going to break his family up. Carlos felt wrongdoing for not telling Jerome’s family who gave him the “gun” and Sarah for giving her father. The theme of guilt vs forgiveness goes through the novel. The novel has a powerful message to the world. “Racism will not stop only if everyone comes as One.”