The Support System of the Mother’s in "The Other Wes Moore"

The support system of the mother’s in the Other Wes Moore’s book played an important role in the book. Although, both Wes’s grew up in the same neighborhood and both had single parents, the author had a very supportive mother. The author’s mother sent him to Military School and even advising him in little ways that the author did not realize later on in the book. On the other hand, the other Wes Moore did not have a supportive mother.

The mother had to struggle between taking care of her kids and going to her job. This led to the other Wes Moore getting into drugs and later on getting into jail because of the lack of support from his mother.

Their mothers led them by example and in return, led them to choose the paths they made later in life. There were events in the author’s life which his mother, Joy, used words with a hint of fear for her kids to learn their lesson.

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The first was when the author was only 3 years old, He accidentally his sister which his mother responded, “get up to your damn room.. I told you, don’t you ever put hands on a woman” (p5) and the other was when the author was failing his classes, Joy threatened to send him to Military School since she had no other way to deal with him. As much as the author did not want to be in Military school and tried to escape 4 times, while talking to the author on the phone, she tells him, “Wes, you are not going anywhere until you give this place a try.

I am so proud of you, and your father is proud of you, and we just want you to give this a shot. Too many people have sacrificed in order for you to be there.”(p.95) This was the moment that the author realized how much sacrificed his mother made and how much he loved her.

The other Wes Moore’s mother, Mary, never finished college. In Fact, she was the first one in their family to ever attend one. Mary was never really concerned with her son’s studies until in 6th grade, they moved to Baltimore County because Wes got into trouble for punching a kid which got the police involved later because neighbors called them in. While Joy made the effort to not let her son get into the drug business, this still led him to selling it because Wes found a stash of Marijuana in her closet. Although Joy made the effort to fight off the harsh conditions they were in, she gave up on doing so towards the end. She often leaves Wes with his grandma while she goes to night out with her friends, while she was providing for her family, she lacked the care and disciplinary Wes needed growing up.

The author’s father passed away when he was 3 years old. This led to his mother being the provider for his family and eventually moving to the Bronx for help from her parents.

References

• The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore
• U.S. Economic Boom : NPR