Theme of Remembrance in Ghost Boys (Essay Example)

In the novel Ghost Boys, remembrance is a noticeable factor because of the events that Jerome Rogers faces. Jerome Rogers, the main character in Ghost Boys, is killed by a white police officer. Jerome's friends and family display different ways to remember  Jerome and all the other black boys, and how their actions made an impact on the world today. Discrimination because of race is only one  problem in the United States. If a person is remembered and makes differences, they alone can change people and the way others think. Remembrance can improve growth in relationships and create connections with people who need justice in the world.

Remembering someone before they die can have favorable benefits when getting to know them. After Jerome dies in Ghost Boys, he meets Emmett Till and learns about his story. Jerome exemplifies how he will ensure  everyone remembers his name, “Ghost boy is looking up at me,...He’s watching, waiting for something. From me?,” (Rhodes 68). Emmett Till can remember Jerome after he died even before they officially met. Getting to know someone’s story is important as a reader, it can infer more about a person with knowledge. Jerome wants everyone to know his name along with the many others who  died. He knows  justice is needed. Similar to today, when someone dies unintentionally most of society wants to make a difference, but nothing seems to happen in the long term. Although getting to know someone before and after they die is important, so is recognizing how self isolation and remembrance connect. 

When Jerome was alive he was isolated from society, however when he died, it was proven that he was more isolated, he had more going on and was figuring out his new life. While Jerome was alive he felt like an outsider; when he died he learned to fit into his “new life” as a ghost. Despite being dead, Jerome can see his family members, but his family members can not see him. Jerome’s grandma can sense him when he’s around her: “‘Time to get going, boy. Time to move on.’ I’m stunned hearing Grandma  speak to me. But I can’t move on,” (Rhodes 29). Jerome is lonely before he dies. Now that Jerome is dead, he has more going on in his mind and he now has his own thoughts. This quote exemplifies how Jerome is isolated because he can't move when he wants to. Although Isolation is another important aspect that relates to remembrance, growing up into society is another.

When someone grows up, they live their life and remember their past. Jerome meets Sarah, Officer Moore’s daughter; she is still a child when all of this chaos is happening. After Sarah finds out her father killed Jerome, she makes a website to make a difference in the world. Sarah is no longer sheltered, and she begins to grow up. Sarah makes this website because, “Sarah is fierce in a new way. Now she knows murder happens to kids,”  Rhodes 178). Sarah does this to spread awareness of the problem of racism in the United States proven in that “‘there are so many stories here. So many names’”(Rhodes 180) of people who have been killed . She wanted to lay out information to make sure people are informed and have an understanding of police brutality. These quotes represent an interpretation about police brutality and help encompass the truth regarding racism and implicit bias. This allows the reader to be educated on the topic.

Honoring an unjustified death is important, if a person was not meant to die they need justice. Growth  is a way to broaden the idea of remembrance. Having an open mind is a long term solution  to show remembrance in the world full of people. By remembering someone , there is room for change and expansion.  Ghost Boys is a meaningful, prominent book which  shows how important remembering an individual is.