“It was too dark to see my number, so I didn’t know who I was. One number is as good as another, I thought. I’ll find out tomorrow who I am”(252). After his mom falls down the stairs trying to fix the satellite, Jennings is taken to a precinct station house and from there, he is taken to a home in Yonkers by a woman from Child Welfare. Upon arrival, Jennings is led to his bed, but because he got there so late, and it was so dark, he could not see what his new number would be.
This passage, although short, is very strong and deep. The tone is almost methodical and bored because Jennings has been in this situation so many times before. It no longer concerns him. In this passage, Jennings’s identity is being compared to a number. Spending so much time in foster homes, it seems to be the only thing that stays constant in his life. His life is so confusing, complicated and dark to see whom he is, so his number that he gets in every foster home becomes his identity. In the future though, he will understand who he is. Most children have a favorite number, but to Jennings, it does not matter. This shows indirect characterization in how Jennings has matured despite his young age. He is familiar with the routine. Every time he goes to a new home, he loses a bit more hope and a bit more of his childhood, as many foster children do.
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