96 pages • 3 hours read
Boy21
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Preface–Chapter 4Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Preface Summary
Finley remembers what he pretends is his earliest memory: playing basketball in his backyard. His father tells him to shoot until Finley “can make 100 baskets in a row” (1), while his father deals with his incapacitated grandfather. Finley shoots well past dark, trying not to hear his recently legless grandfather crying and moaning in the house. Finley’s memory collapses time until all he remembers from this traumatic time is playing basketball by himself.
One day, also in Finley’s memory, Erinappears, asking if she canplay with him. After ignoring her for a while, Finley reluctantly gives her the ball. She makes the shot, so he gives it back to her. Again, Finley’s memory collapses time, until it seems that his childhood consisted of two activities: playing basketball by himself and playing basketball with Erin.
Chapter 1 Summary
A week before senior year, Finley and Erin eat breakfast with Finley’s dad and grandfather. Finley tries not to be distracted by Erin’s bra, but he is so attracted to her that he doesn’t listen to any of the conversation, even though his father and grandfather mostly ignore him when Erin is around, anyway. As they leave to train, his grandfather tells them to make the Irish proud, while his father tells them that they can “always outwork talent in the end” (8).
His dad’s life has been hard, so Finley always tries to work extra hard to make his father proud, especially in basketball. After a good game, Finley’s dad always tells him he’s proud of him, and his grandfather calls them pansies.
During training, Finley tries to forget about Erin, concentrating only on his final high school basketball season, two months away.
Chapter 2 Summary
Last spring at school, Terrell Patterson and the other students picked on Finley, calling him “White Rabbit” and dumping carrots on his lunch tray. Erin tries to joke about it to take the attention off Finley, who tries to make the most out of a name he doesn’t like by comparing himself to Eminem’s character, B-Rabbit, in the movie 8 Mile.
The name “White Rabbit” came about after Wes told the other basketball players about a John Updike book they had read in Accelerated English about a washed-up white basketball player named Rabbit. Since Finley is the only white player on the varsity basketball team, “the nickname stuck and now everyone in the neighborhood calls” him by it (10).
Chapter 3 Summary
In preparation for basketball season, Erin and Finley shoot 100 free throws, of which Erin makes 88 and Finley makes 90. They practice jogging and dribbling and are completely comfortable being around one another without talking. Finley fantasizes about Erin’s body as he practices. A lot of his training is dedicated to helping Erin, as both think that Erin’s basketball talents are their key to getting out of Bellmont. Comparatively, Erin is a much better player than Finley is, and she must carry the team this season, since the other star player graduated last year. Finley knows that he will not be able to play college basketball anywhere, but he is okay with this knowledge. To stop thinking about Erin, Finley thinks about his grandfather’s leg stumps, and about the mistakes that his grandfather and Erin’s brother, Rod, made, which have gotten them stuck in Bellmont.
While they are practicing in the high school gym, the football team comes in, and Terrell hassles Finley about the fact that he doesn’t need to practice making shots because Finley’s role on the team is just to pass the ball so that Terrell can make shots. Terrell then turns his attention to Erin, calling her “White Rabbit’s lil baby,” a nickname Erin hates. Erin gets mad, and then yells at Finley after Terrell leaves for not sticking up for her. Finley is silent, only apologizing with his eyes.
Chapter 4 Summary
Even on the playground, when everyone else is goofing off by fouling and missing shots, Erin and Finley practice. Unlike other people in the neighborhood, Erin and Finley can play basketball against grown men and win without getting harassed and/or beaten up, because Rod has extended his protection to the two of them.
Finley remembers when nineteen-year-old Don Little tried to mess with then fourteen-year-old Erin, sexually harassing her and denigrating Finley. One time, Don followed Erin home from school and grabbed her butt. Finley charged him, but Don laid Finley out with one punch. Erin then punched Don, who hit her back but ran off after he realized what he had done. Erin went to care for Finley, joking with him even though he puked on the street. Finley was silent.
Later, Rod visited Finley, and Finley was impressed with how muscular he had become since he left Erin’s parents’ house. Rod asked to speak with Finley alone, reminding Finley’s father that their family owed him. Finley told Rod what had happened to him and Erin, and Rod promised that no one would mess with them again.
The next day, Don Little was found beaten unconscious on the basketball court with his braids cut off and a sign saying, “I hit girls.” Finley realized that if Rod were not around, he and Erin wouldn’t be able to play basketball safely on the adult courts.
Preface–Chapter 4 Analysis
The first few chapters serve to characterize Finley. From the very beginning, Finley refuses to be honest about his past; only later in the novel do readers recognize Finley’s memories as being imbued with memories of violence. Instead of facing his past, Finley uses basketball as an escape, but he sees Erin as a distraction, which inhibits his defense mechanism. This self-centered outlook, focused on preservation, is understood to be the reason that Finley doesn’t have very many friends. However, even though Finley is self-centered, he also works very diligently and is dedicated to training for basketball.
Perhaps most importantly, these chapters cement Finley’s use of silence to barricade himself against events beyond his control. They present Finley’s anxiety about being stuck in Bellmont forever as well as his obsession with leaving this community behind, even though he never speaks of these ideas. Finley’s silence leads to a lack of agency and an inability to stick up for himself or for Erin, suggesting that silence has the negative effect of allowing violence to propagate unchecked.
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