In this essay titled Walter Mosley Point of View I will be writing about “Always Outnumbered And Always Outgunned” a book by Walter Mosley. I will be writing about Mosley’s views and disbelief’s about how he feels about the world we live in. Mosley demonstrates how the world is in both situations being optimistic and pessimistic. The way he shows that is through his characters. The main character of the story is Socrates Fortlow who is a man that got release from prison after doing twenty-seven years of hard time for killing two people. He is now a changed man. Socrates moves to Los Angles after his release from prison for a new start on life. Socrates now tries to go in the right direction while being positive but sees the world in a negative point of view.
Mean while Socrates comes across a much younger character named Darryl. Darryl is a troubled teen boy who is in foster care. His mother died when he was just an infant and father who also died after being killed in prison. Darryl is also a character who sees life as a trap and through a negative perspective. That’s why him and Socrates became such good friends because they both understand each other. Socrates and Darryl are both people who have come together who have done something wrong in their life. They both respect each other, and they are both trying to figure out ways to survive in this world. They’re both teaching each other something new every day. Mosley is demonstrating how both of these characters guide each other through their struggles. He is also describing the beauty between two people who have both gone through their own personal problems, even though there is an age difference.
Mosley is also an author who is very concerned about an individual responsibility to the community. He writes about how one person can affect the whole entire community. He demonstrates that in the chapter The Thief, The chapter involves a character named Wilfred, who is a thief. Wilfred portrays people like Socrates by dressing in homeless and unpopular clothes it is an negative view towards people like Socrates. People look at Socrates and automatically think that all people who dresses or looks like that are images of criminals or a thief.It also affects the community and other ways. People in that community have to pay for all of the products that has been stolen. The way people of that community pays is by these stores raising prices on all of their products. By raising prices on the products the people of that community are replacing all of the products that were stolen. Now the stores has to place security camera’s and other security supplies. All of these things comes out of the people of that community pockets.People of the community also have to pay in other ways beside from the people stealing from their community.
In the passage The Thief. Socrates also mentions “I been paying for Niggers like that all my life just like his father has being paying for me” Wilfred the thief exits the store after their disagreement Socrates and Wilfred got into. What Mosley is referring about the statement Socrates said is by Socrates being in jail Wilfred father and everyone else who is working has been paying for him through taxes which has to pay for him being in jail. Your taxes pays for the inmates to eat and supply them with other material items.
Mosley also reflects more on the people who are really helping the community out. He demonstrates that in the chapter titled House On Marvane Street. Socrates takes Darryl to Marvane Street to teach him a lesson about what’s going on in the community. As he made him focus on three houses which the story reflects to be the “Young African” “Crack House” and a“ Small dark house”. There were chains and fences around the small dark house, which was a place for under cover cops to hide at. Socrates points out the most negative houses on the block, The most negative house on the block was the Dark House, which is a place for under cover, cops who hide out watching the “Young Africans” instead of the crack house.
Mosley shows us how you can really help out the community, which was in the house Right Burke stayed Socrates best friend. Right Burke is an older man who is ill with prostate Cancer. Right Burke is an ex commando veteran of WW11. He stayed with a lady name Luvia who ran a house for poor Black folks Socrates consider her to be really doing something in the community because she is actually putting people into homes. Even though she has harsh feelings towards Socrates because of his background, he still respects her for what she is doing to help the community.Instead of preaching about what can be done to change the community. (Which is what the young Africans are doing.) She actually does something. Mosley is saying that actions speak louder than words.
Mosley makes a special point on fighting for your rights and taking what is yours. In the passage Mosley demonstrates how people are still discriminating against African American males that doesn’t fit up to their quality. In the passage Equal Opportunity Socrates tries to apply to a job working for Bounty Supermarket. The assistant manger, Anton Crier, automatically thinks that Socrates is not fit for the job because of his appearance. Socrates fought until he got what he wanted. The mangers put him down but he kept on coming back until he got what he wanted, which was the job but at a different location.
