69 pages • 2 hours read
Walter Dean MyersA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Although he is only 17 years old, Lonnie lives an independent, adult life. He has a part-time job at The Grant, a motel where the owner lets him stay in his own room. Myers portrays Lonnie’s primary motivation as trying to be seen in the world; Lonnie seeks this visibility mostly through playing basketball. School is mentioned only tangentially in the novel, with most of Lonnie’s characterization focused on his choices, day-to-day activities, and relationships.
Since Lonnie is both the protagonist and first-person narrator of Hoops, his emotions and observations are central to the plot. Lonnie has a deep subconscious wound related to his father having left his family. In his current relationships, Lonnie struggles to show vulnerability, whether it’s through his developing romantic relationship with Mary-Ann, his curiosity and protectiveness with Aggie, or his complex relationship with Cal. By seeing Lonnie navigate these relationships, it becomes clearer who he is internally: a hurt but caring young man who wants to be seen and loved.
Myers is careful not to portray Lonnie as a completely mature or reliable narrator. Instead, readers watch as Lonnie figures out many life lessons over the course of the novel.
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