Black Men Characters in “Young Lions” by Jones

Edward P. Jones initially wrote Young Lions in1992, displaying the life of a twenty-four-year-old killer. Caesar Matthews, the black main character, has faced the criminal world since he was a teenager (Jones, 2012). He is used to carrying gun everywhere since he committed a murder. In addition, his attitude to women is dreadful, considering that he treats the female, Carol, he lives with as a sexual object and nothing more. Still, Carol has deeper feelings for Ceasar and is not planning on leaving him.

Furthermore, the significant event of Ceasar’s life is when Carol takes him from the dance club to the house. Since that day, his life has changed: he gets a job at the bar and, as a result, becomes more involved in the world of sinners. To be precise, his boss is a criminal figure who is widely recognized in the city and, therefore, influences Ceasar’s life considerably. Overall, one might conclude that Edward Jones’s piece is strongly related to black men’s criminal life aspect, which used to be a common stereotype during the author’s life and especially career. Consequently, he also displays the challenges and suffering of the main character in vivid detail; this technique is also traced in his story called Old Boys, Old Girls.

References

Jones, E. P. (2012). Young lions. In Lost in the city (pp. 55–76). Amistad.