47 pages • 1 hour read
Paul VolponiBlack And White
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2005A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 13-17Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 13 Summary: “Black”
Officer Connelly pulls Marcus out of class. As his mother is signing him out for the day, Jefferson tells her that Marcus is going to learn from his mistake, pick himself up again, and inspire other kids in the neighborhood. He tells Marcus that he is lucky to have his mother supporting him. Ms. Torres meets Marcus and his mother at the DA’s office, and Marcus signs the plea deal. He tells Eddie about it the next day at school.
During practice, Coach Casey tells Marcus that the principal, Ms. Randolph, wants to speak to them both. They go to her office, and she says that, due to his conviction, Marcus is banned from any extracurricular activities during his remaining time at school, including the basketball team. Both Marcus and Coach Casey are upset and bring the news to the rest of the team; Marcus apologizes. X notes that “at least [he’s] man enough to stand up for it” (136).
Marcus and his mother and sister still plan to attend Senior Night, an event to celebrate the parents of members of the basketball team before the game. In English class, Marcus reads his essay. On his way out of school, Jefferson gives Marcus 12 dollars so he and his family can get to and from Senior Night by cab.
Marcus’s mother and his sister Sabrina get dressed up for Senior Night, and they all head over to the school in their cab. Marcus stays with his family while the stands fill up. Jefferson and Connelly are there to check students’ IDs. The ceremony begins, during which the student-athletes walk onto the court with their parents and give their mothers a bouquet of roses. Ms. Randolph approaches Marcus and reminds him that he is not allowed to participate in extracurricular activities: that rule includes Senior Night. She says that Marcus’s family can walk out on the court, but Marcus cannot, and blocks their way. Jefferson tries to reason with her. A group of Black students in the bleachers call Ms. Randolph racist, and when Connelly scolds them, a fight breaks out in the stands. Jefferson hurries over to help his partner, and the two end up fighting one another.
The police arrive to clear out the gym. Marcus notices the broken glass of the display case holding Jason’s jersey; he reaches inside to hang the shirt properly. He and his family walk home.
Chapter 14 Summary: “White”
Eddie is in the middle of the court with his family, who are scared. The cops make everyone except the players, coaches, and referees leave the gym. The teams start warming up for the game, and Coach Casey gives a speech before they start. The first quarter goes poorly, and the teams tie. After a time-out, Eddie becomes overwhelmed and starts to cry before shaking it off to start the second quarter. A player from the other team starts guarding him, a track star who looks similar to Marcus. This player, Eddie’s “black shadow” as he refers to him, makes it difficult for Eddie to get to the ball. Eddie’s team loses 60-49 and is thus out of the playoffs.
Chapter 15 Summary: “Black”
The next morning, Marcus wakes up early and goes to the Circle to play basketball. He warms up alone before other players start to arrive. Soon, Moses and X arrive and tell Marcus about the game the night before and that they lost. Marcus is in disbelief.
Marcus keeps playing until he sees Rose nearby and goes to meet her. The two walk around the neighborhood holding hands. They stop inside a flower shop, and Rose buys a bouquet of roses for Marcus’s mother.
On Sunday, Marcus goes to church with his mother and sister, which he has not done since he started high school. Marcus recalls Reverend Hawkins, who knew his father and would sometimes tell stories about him and the other kids who hung out around the church years earlier. Marcus has only heard from his father twice since he left, and Reverend Hawkins has since passed away. Afterward, the family stops at the grocery store and has a brief, tense run-in with Eddie’s family.
At school, both Jefferson and Connelly are gone; a student is pressing charges against Connelly for assault, and Connelly is pressing charges against Jefferson, so they have been transferred to different offices. Marcus feels bad that Jefferson is getting into trouble and wishes he could say or do something about it, but thinks no one would believe him since he is going to jail.
Chapter 16 Summary: “White”
Eddie’s mother cries on the way home from the grocery store after the run-in with Marcus and his mother. That night, she talks to Eddie and expresses her worries that the lawyer is wrong and Eddie could go to jail, and starts to cry again upon seeing the jacket that Eddie borrowed from Marcus.
Eddie returns Marcus’s jacket the next day. Other students ask about the riot and about the basketball team’s loss. Ms. Randolph talks about what happened over the PA system, congratulating the team for making it to the playoffs and announcing that Eddie was the high-scorer.
Eddie gets to his English class and gives Marcus back his jacket. After class, they talk about the game and the riot, and as Marcus leaves, Eddie “look[s] at him like he [is] already somebody different” (169). They go to the gym for the last team meeting of the school year. Coach Casey gives a speech and commends the boys for their teamwork. Marcus lets them all know what happened to Connelly and Jefferson. The rest of the team eats food, plays music, and shoots basketballs, while Eddie leaves.
The next night, Eddie and his father go to Mr. Golub’s office to make a payment, and Eddie’s father derides him for how much money he has to spend. Mr. Golub claims that the case against Eddie is still weak and the charges may even be dropped eventually. Eddie’s father plans to tell his mother that the charges will definitely be dropped, so she does not continue to worry. Eddie is scared but has to pretend everything is fine.
Eddie starts spending more time with Rebecca now that basketball season has ended. They take a walk around the neighborhood, including by Hell Gate Bridge where Eddie dumped his grandfather’s gun. He feels anxiety as they get closer to the spot. As they continue walking, Eddie sees Marcus and Rose sitting together holding hands. That night at home, Eddie’s mom finishes his laundry, and his basketball uniform sits on top ready to be returned.
Chapter 17 Summary: “Black”
Marcus has less than two weeks before he has to report to the jail. He and Rose spend more time together, finally opening up about their feelings for one another. Marcus wants to tell Eddie about the two of them, but he decides against it given the already strained nature of their relationship. Rose does not tell her parents. Marcus’s mother, on the other hand, already knows about Marcus and Rose and does not mind, but notes that they would face pushback from others for “crossing that line” (178).
Marcus tries to make the most of his remaining days before he goes to jail. He spends a lot of time with his mother and sister and helping out around the house. He feels his priorities shifting; whereas before he was concerned about basketball and being a “big shot,” he cares most of all now about his family.
He thinks about Coach Casey, and how Casey had told Marcus that he would always support him and promises to speak highly about him to college coaches when he gets out. Also, he thinks about Jason Taylor, and how they “came from the same place, and wanted to do the same things. (180), and how Coach Casey had looked out for them both.
On his last weekend at home, Marcus’s mother gives him 20 dollars to spend, and he uses it to take Rose to the movies. On the way to the theater, they pass the parking lot where Sidney Parker was shot. Marcus shows her exactly where it happened so she can picture it clearly, and to show that he can face what he did. When the movie is over, they stop at the flower shop on the way home, and Marcus buys her a single rose to remember the day.
Marcus’s mother packs some items for him and makes a list of what she can mail him while he is gone. Sabrina gives Marcus back the Walkman he gave her, and, recalling the woman he robbed it from, figures he should take it with him to jail. The next day, he goes to the Circle to play basketball alone. He walks around the empty courts until he sees Eddie playing alone too. He approaches, and the two play together; Marcus notes he is “half a step slower than usual,” (183), unable to keep up. After playing for a little while, Eddie needs a break, and the two sit face to face as Marcus reflects on the racial divide between them.
Chapters 13-17 Analysis
The final section of the novel brings the building tension to a head with the riot during Senior Night. The tension resolves as Marcus makes peace with what he has done and prepares to go to jail. The novel draws sharp contrasts between the maturity and integrity with which Marcus handles the situation and Eddie’s willingness to continue to lie in order to evade the same fate as his friend. The novel’s ending is ambiguous; it is unclear whether Marcus and Eddie’s friendship will be able to weather this situation, which has made plain the racial divide between them.
Marcus and Eddie’s relationship is more strained than ever as Marcus prepares to go to prison. Marcus decides to sign the plea deal rather than take the case to trial despite Eddie’s insistence, marking a shift in the young men’s relationship. These chapters conclude their character development and hint at their futures. Marcus handles the situation with as much grace as he can, exemplifying Integrity in the Face of Guilt and Consequences. He takes lessons from both his mother and Officer Jefferson about rebuilding his life after prison and expresses gratitude for the people who care about him.
Eddie is likely to evade legal trouble and is on track to play basketball in college. However, he cannot express his true feelings and fears openly and is weighed down by guilt. Eddie notes the rift between him and Marcus when he expresses that Marcus seems “like he [is] already somebody different” in the days leading up to his departure for prison (169). Despite Eddie’s supposed success in avoiding trouble and the inherent unfairness of Marcus’s sentence, the novel’s ambiguous ending hints that Eddie is not victorious. Rather, he feels continually weighed down and consumed by his guilt. In contrast, Marcus finds redemption and will turn his life around after his sentence.
Though Marcus’s outcome seems initially bleak, his willingness to accept accountability for his actions and pay the price earns him a measure of respect from his family, his mentors Coach Casey and Officer Jefferson, and his peers on the basketball team. Jefferson speaks highly of his character, saying that “Marcus is the type of young man who’s going to pick himself back up and succeed. And one day, other kids from this neighborhood are going to look up to him for that” (131). Marcus’s character and integrity will allow him to succeed in spite of his mistake. In contrast, Eddie struggles to own up to his culpability in the shooting even to Marcus, and especially to his own family. Feigning innocence affords him opportunities, but it is a heavy burden to carry. This is best illustrated during the basketball game on Senior Night; a player on the opposite team who resembles Marcus follows Eddie around the court like a “black shadow” (152), costing him the game; this symbolizes how lingering guilt and fear will continue to cast their shadow over Eddie’s future.
The novel comments further on Discrimination in the Justice System, this time as Mr. Golub prepares to take the case to court; he comments on jury selection for the case, noting that they would need “more whites on the jury than blacks” (174), implying that white people are more likely to believe Eddie innocent. This points to another facet of the justice system that may work against those who are economically disadvantaged and thus are not afforded quality legal care: those with means have the advantage of a hand-picked jury likely to side with them.
Through the riot at Senior Night, the novel examines Racial Tension in Urban Settings. It mirrors how Jason Taylor was killed in racially fueled chaos, and symbolizes the now-unmistakable racial divide between Eddie and Marcus. Officers Jefferson and Connelly end up in a physical altercation, a direct reflection of the interpersonal conflict between Marcus and Eddie and the larger societal conflict between Black and white communities.
However, Marcus and Rose’s connection at the end of the novel provides hope. It hints at future healing between these two communities, as does Marcus’s assertion that working to try to dissolve the racial barrier is worthwhile.
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