Steven Lopez's "Third and Indiana"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Steven Lopez's "Third and Indiana" centers around a fourteen year old boy Gabriel who becomes deeply entangled in the world of drugs. The author points out that the progress of the story relies on Gabriel's relationship with Eddie, a runaway father. The paper relates that Eddie takes the place of Gabriel's father when Gabriel's other surrogate father, the drug dealer Diablo, puts a threat on Gabriel's life. The paper suggests that the bond between Eddie and Gabriel reminds Eddie of the love he has for his own children as he begins to see what happens to children raised without a father. The author concludes that the central theme of the novel is that even the worst case scenarios can have a glimmer of hope and even the most seemingly hopeless of people may still have some good in them and stand a chance of survival and success.

From the Paper:

"The scene in which Gabriel and Eddie sit around talking allows the reader to see aspects of Eddie's personality that he does not otherwise reveal. A failing jazz musician, Eddie is the type of guy who makes excuses for everything wrong in his life, blaming things on any outside force he can think up. For example, Eddie says that the reason he is not a rich and famous musician like his rival, Paulie Rego, is that he believed real musicians didn't get paid. It was a matter of pride that they did it for the love of music, not selling out playing for the clubs."

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