Tuesday, November 15, 2016

#8. Interpret/explain/explore the context and significance of the last line of the book (230). (Lucian W.)

The last line of the book: “We didn’t keep score”, hints at the fact that Rowdy and Junior might be becoming friends again (Alexie 230). The quote does this by telling the reader that the game wasn’t meant to be competitive, it was just two friends having fun together. If they were still fighting, Rowdy would have been much more aggressive and would definitely have kept score. When Junior and Rowdy were fighting, all they wanted was revenge on each other: “I wanted to win. I wanted revenge… I was playing to beat Rowdy” (Alexie 182-183). Basketball is what bonds Rowdy and Junior the most, so for them to have a nice relaxed game together really means something special. Junior and Rowdy are both very competitive people when it comes to basketball, and they both always want to win, so when they don’t keep score it shows that they really just want to be together. Last time Junior and Rowdy played basketball together, Junior ended up crying because of Rowdy, and the time before that, Rowdy gave Junior a concussion. So when they play without rivalry or hate, it means that they really do love each other.
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousNovember 16, 2016 at 7:00 PM

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  2. AnonymousNovember 16, 2016 at 7:02 PM

    I agree with your inference that the fact that they "didn't keep score" means that Rowdy's and Junior's friendship has been rebuilt (Alexie 230). Like you said, Rowdy and Arnold are ultra-competitive when it comes to basketball, so instead of their bond being intense competition and revenge upon one another, their bond is now friendship. This really becomes clear through the imagery of the two of them playing "for hours [on the court] ... until dark ... until the streetlights lit up the court .... until the bats swooped down at [their] heads ... until the moon was huge and golden and perfect in the dark sky..." really enlightens the fact that none of them wanted to let go of each other as reunited best friends (Alexie 230).

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