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(Incarcerated) Wes meets his father
Wes finally meets his father in an informal way and it is the moment that Wes's life would change forever. The meeting shows how his father was largely absent in his life, and this bothers Wes and influences his behavior. (Moore 18) -
(Incarcerated) Wes's mother loses the grant
Wes's mother Mary looses the funding to attend college at John Hopkins and she has to work a Part-Time as a Full- Time job now to support family as Wes's father abandons them. This causes a financial hardship in the family, which heavily influences Wes's character. (Moore 17) -
(Author) Wes's father dies
The author Wes's father dies of acute epiglottitis as a result of medical malpractice earlier. (Moore 15) -
(Author) Wes gets suspended for fighting
Wes gets suspended for wrestling with a kid from his grade. This is a step in a bad direction, and shows a potential point where Wes's life could be changed forever. At this point, if he continued on with that trajectory, he would end up no different to the incarcerated Wes. (Moore 50) -
(Incarcerated) Wes gets arrested for the first time
After trying to "send a message" to the boy who had bust Wes's lip, he gets arrested after the police arrive. He asks for Tony to bring his father to pick him up rather than revealing his arrest to his mother. (Moore 33) -
(Incarcerated) Wes skips school and uses drugs
Wes skips school to hang out with his gang and smokes the weed that he found in his mother's room. This event is a byproduct of his friends' negative influences. Drugs are also present in his environment, even in his own home. This easy access to drugs negatively impacts Wes, and explains his current condition (Moore 60) -
(Author) Wes and his family moves to New York
Wes's family moves to his grandparents house in the Bronx to escape Baltimore City and live a better life. His mom also gained help from her parents to raise her kids because it's hard to raise them in a good environment by herself. (Moore 42) -
(Incarcerated) Wes is introduced to drug-dealing
Hoping to earn a little money, Wes particiaptes in the drug-dealing business. Although he knows what happened to Tony and reasons that he is far from actual drugs, he still willingly puts himself in the same circle (and danger) as drug dealers. -
(Author) Wes gets caught
Wes gets caught for the first time because he was tagging a wall with his friend Shea, but neither of them end up getting charged, only lectured by officers to change their ways. -
(Incarcerated) Wes's mom finds his drug stash
Wes's mom found his stash later after Tony informs her.She was very disappointed that her son was doing this, and tried to change his behavior by getting rid of the drugs by flushing them down the toilet. However, the stash was worth a lot of money and Wes had to pay back the main supplier. This, arguably, worsened the situation, because it increased Wes's dependence on the drug dealers, further trapping him in this situation (Moore 72-73) -
(Author) Wes tries to leave Valley Forge
Wes tries to leave Valley Forge after a sergeant gives him "directions to escape". They turn out to be fake, and his chain of command walks him to the colonel. This event shows how his strong support network of his mom, and the officers at Valley Forge has such a large effect on Wes; they convince Wes to remain in the camp, which instills a sense of discipline in his character. (Moore 96) -
(Incarcerated) Wes gets into an altercation with Ray
After meeting Alicia and getting her pregnant, Wes moves on to another girl. The girl's boyfriend (Ray) is outside of Wes's house, and after the girl leaves, he attacks Wes and punches him. After that incident, Wes grabs a gun, and starts to shoot him with the help of his own gang. This event is influential because Wes gets arrested for 3 years, which indicates that Wes is already too far in crime to be saved from his path to jail. (Moore 106) -
(Author) Wes is forced to attend Valley Forge
His mother forces him to attend Valley Forge after she realizes that Wes doesn't actually have a learning disability. His mother collects money to fund his education at Valley Forge, which shows how his mother is a positive influence in his environment. His new environment instills in him a sense of discipline over the years. -
(Incarcerated) Wes becomes a drug dealer
After the detention, Wes returns to school and then promptly quits after he is not able to keep up with his classes. To find a source of income, Wes turns to drug dealing, and makes 4,000 per day after having an entire team. This is a turn for worse, and negatively influences Wes's prospects in becoming better. As he becomes a drug dealer, he has no support network to prevent him from doing so. (Moore 110) -
(Author) Wes succeeds in Valley Forge
In Valley Forge, Wes makes his name for college recruitment, and earns academic and athletic scholarships to lessen the financial burden on his family. At this school, Wes has changed for the better, "standing straight" and ending sentences politely. This shows how his parents and grandparents were able to help Wes stay on track for a successful life. (Moore 115) -
(Incarcerated) Wes has more kids with Alicia and Cheryl
Wes has four kids two with Alicia and two with Cheryl. Cheryl was not a good person because she did drugs behind his back. It is only at this point that Wes acknowledges Cheryl's drug use. Through this, he sees the impact that the drugs that he peddles have on people surrounding him, and the larger community as a whole. Now, with more people relying on Wes, he has to find a stable job. This extra baggage forces Wes to earn more money regardless of the legality of the method. (Moore 137). -
(Author) Wes sees life's impermanence
While training to be a paratrooper, Wes realizes how every single bit of life is highly valuable, making it important to cherish (not waste) moments of time. At this point, he also realizes his future plans of wanting to lead soldiers and advancing his military career in the Army. This moment influences his career choices and what he wants to be as advances in life -
(Incarcerated) Wes joins Job Corps
Wes leaves the drug dealing business and goes on to earn his GED as he hasn't really graduated high school. As he does so, he realizes the dangerous but profitable work that he used to do in the drug dealing business, and returns back to it. This shows how drugs and the money involved has a negative influence on Wes, as he tries to make more money even after Wes sees the damaging effects of drugs in Cheryl. (Moore 142). -
(Author) Wes becomes Rhodes Scholar and goes abroad to South Africa.
Wes is accepted into John Hopkins University and receives scholarship money despite all other factors going against him. He does point out that most of his admission was because of his influential connections that he is fortunate to have. He also earned the Rhodes scholarship from the help of Mayor Kurt Schmoke. Lastly he goes to South Africa for a semester and attends Oxford for his Masters. He realizes that there is another Wes with a worse fate. (Moore 170). -
(Incarcerated) Wes is charged with murder
Wes, his brother, and a group of burglars rob a local jewelry store and in the act shoot a police officer to death. After they are caught, Wes is convicted for life. His life had been building to this moment from every negative decision he made. Even all the support his mother gave him, the experience his brother had, and support from friends like Woody, Wes chose the path he went down in his life.