Eraser Tattoo

The characters’ neighborhood and Shay’s imminent move away from it plays an important role in the story. How does the setting shape Shay and Dante’s identities and relationship? What does the story suggest about how a person’s environment influences them?

How does the story use metaphor to draw connections between Dante and Shay’s personal experience and the wider societal issues of racism and gentrification?

In what ways do Shay and Dante’s experiences relate to the broader transitions that all young people go through in life? In what ways are they particular to these characters’ specific circumstances?

The story doesn’t give any details about Dante’s family or home life. How does this omission affect the story’s themes and its characterization of Dante? What does it suggest about the centrality of his relationship with Shay in his life?

“Eraser Tattoo” was published in 2018. How does it comment on social and cultural phenomena specific to the 2010s? Is its vision of gentrification and its effects still accurate today?

How does the feeling of nostalgia shape the characters actions and decisions? What does “Eraser Tattoo” suggest about the role nostalgia plays in our personal lives?

The author repeats certain phrases multiple times throughout the story. What are the stylistic, emotional, and thematic effects of this repetition?

How do Dante and Shay react to their forced separation differently? What do these differences reveal about their respective personalities and outlooks on the future?