The Rockpile

I believe the rockpile address the issue of violence in Harlem. It examines violence among community members. It talks about how Roy and John watched these violence's occur. As we know Roy becomes one of these boys, going onto the rockpile with "his friends." The cut he receives from this experience is not as bad as the emotional violence that results from his actions. It causes tension with not only him and his brother, but between his brother and stepfather. When the stepfather arrives home we all expect him to be mad at Roy for making the poor decision to go to the rockpile, but instead the stepfather is mad at John for not telling anyone that Roy left, and pity's Roy. The setting is very important, this story takes place during the years of the Great Depression, tempers flared more easily during this time period, Harlem being hit the hardest in NY, explaining the excitement found through the fights at the rockpile. Also the setting of the apartment building is essential in the plot. It is located directly across the street from the rockpile, Roy watches fights there and eventually falls under the temptation to actually go and fight "Roy shifted impatiently, and continued to stare at the street, as though in this gazing he might somehow acquire wings." We learn that Elizabeth, the mother, stands up to the stepfather, and sticks up for John. We can see she is probably a dominated housewife and is insecure in this situation. John stays solid and strong and holds his ground. He doesn't back down, because he doesn't have an option. We are left with the feeling of violence, and possibly vicious things to come for John and maybe even possibly the mother for standing up to the male dominated stepfather. They are stuck in a situation that they cannot change, or choose to not change due to the environment, and the cause and effect of that.