Civil Rights

The fact that blacks should have the same rights as whites is an overriding theme of this story. The violation of civil rights and the efforts by various groups to change that drives the majority of the action in the story. There are several examples of the lack of civil rights, especially seen in the situation that leads to Bucky's arrest. Bucky, as a character, is an example of a young man seeking to take care of his family. He is young - not yet out of high school - but is holding down a full-time job to pay the bills so his mother and sister are fed and housed. As Bucky rushes down the street one day to get back to his job, he bumps into two police officers. Though he apologizes, the officers take action that ends with Bucky being severely beaten and jailed. When...