Character Analysis: The Other Wes Moore

The Other Wes Moore is the compelling story of two men with the same name, but different fates. Throughout the story, there is evidence on how the environment that one grows up in may affect the way that he or she may live their life. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the message that it had within it. Throughout the following questions, the way environment and other factors shape who become will be explained.
Question 1:
By saying, “I guess it’s hard sometimes to distinguish between second chances and last chances,” I think Wes was implying that we never know how many more chances at life we may have. When we jump at an opportunity, we do not know if this will be our last chance to jump at this opportunity or in fact, just another chance. …show more content…
It also does not help that neither had a father influence or impact on their lives. The other Wes, his home environment was very influential in his way of life. For example, watching his brother Tony influenced how he acted. Wes was influenced by the behaviors he saw and it was all he was used to; he did not know any different. This is more than likely the reason he is where he is today. The reason he started to sell drugs could heavily rely on the influence of Tony. Witnessing Tony selling drugs made Wes think that selling drugs was okay. Tony was a part of Wes’s environment while they grew up …show more content…
Wes, the author witnessed crime, and he more than likely thought to himself that he would never want to participate in crime. His mother also tried very hard to get her son away from public school, this way he would not be exposed to as much crime. Although contributing factor to Wes and environment was that he went to the military. Had he not gone, life may have been a lot different for him. Attending military school gave him the opportunity to receive money. Had he not received this money he would not have been able to afford college, which could have left him to also become a criminal. Therefore, the military would have been an environment that changes Wes’s view on life. He did not want his life to turn into the lives that he would see in the neighborhood. Hence the reason that he wanted up to be successful.
At a young age, children start to interact with their environment. This would appear in Jean Piaget’s sensorimotor development stage from birth to two years. The child’s development and understanding of the environment continues from age two to seven. This would be Piaget’s preoperational stage. In this stage, children become capable to use symbolic representations for things that they see in their

Show More