The Other Wes Moore Theme Tracking Chapter 5

Theme: Single Mother

Quote 1

"I knew my mother was considering sending me away, but I never thought she'd actually do it."

Quote 2

"Her almond shaped eyes were overflowing with anger, disappointment, and confusion, and maybe even a little fear. I would never have hit my mother. But in my room, at that moment, she was not so sure. She looked at me as if for the first time."

Quote 3

"She turned and walked out of the room. She was devastated. She was losing her son, and she was not sure how to turn the tide. We didn't know it at the time, but once alone, we both started to cry."

Quote 4

"The problem was that military school wasn't cheap. It's not even cheap. The price tag for Valley Forge was even steeper than that for Riverdale. My mother had written to family and friends, asking them to help her however they could...Weeks later, she was still thousands of dollars short."

Quote 5

"'I love you, and I am proud of you. And, Wes, it's time to stop running,' my mother said as I hung up."

Wes Moore (author) was already doing poorly in school. His mother had been fed up to the point where she shoved brochures in Wes' face depicting military school life. Wes obviously took this as an empty threat. He saw himself as the man of the house. That's why he couldn't imagine her ever sending him away. Also, that's why he couldn't imagine her hitting him. His mother was so against abuse, considering her past marriage, and she instilled those beliefs in him. Wes was her baby boy, but suddenly, after she struck him, she almost didn't recognize the boy in front of her. She loved him, and he loved her. She loved him so much, and she wanted him to do well in school, life, etc. She had such high hopes for him and she tried so hard to be a good mother to him. At the time, she felt like a failure. So, her only hope was military school for the rest of his education. Unfortunately, as a single mother, you're the only breadwinner in the family. Wes' mother was already paying for an upperclass education in New York for both of her daughters, and on top of that she had a low paying job. She desperately wanted what was best for her children, so she went to their relatives and asked for some. Still, she was short. In order to properly put him through the first year, Wes' grandparents gave his mother their retirement funds.

The theme for single mother develops in this chapter as it shows how single mothers try their hardest to mold their children into good citizens and students, but it's hard if you're the only authority figure in your household. In order to fix things, sacrifices must be made, and it takes a true parent to make that decision, also showing how single mothers carry the burden of two parents by themselves.