The Other Wes Moore is the true story of two boys who shared the same name and hometown, but very different futures: while one found success in business and academics, the other is serving a life sentence in prison for murder. The book is divided into three sections that tell the stories of how the Wes Moores's paths diverged in such dramatic ways. The third, "Paths Taken and Expectations Fulfilled" focuses on the consequences and ramifications of the choices that each Wes has made as seen in their journeys through adulthood. The two Wes Moores, who once shared similar childhoods and backgrounds, now see their paths radically diverge. The title "Paths Taken and Expectations Fulfilled" is appropriate for the author Wes Moore's purpose as it demonstrates his feelings about the role that societal expectations had on both Wes's futures.
The title "Paths Taken and Expectations Fulfilled" emphasizes the influence of an outside force on the life paths of the two Wes Moores. In the chapters that follow, it is clear that the "expectations" Moore writes about are not those of the two title characters, but instead those of a larger societal body. Early in the story, Moore writes about how Baltimore government used the reading scores of third graders to decide how many prison beds they need. This sets up an important theme that is present throughout the book, but especially in the final section: to the rest of society, the other Wes Moore is beyond saving. He is already gone. This idea is seen in the italicized section before the chapter "The Land That God Forgot," where the two men are having a conversation in jail. The other Wes Moore says, "'We will do what others expect of us... If they expect us to go to jail, then that's where we will end up too. At some point you lose control" (126). Wes truly believes that the reason he is in jail is that society has given up on him-- and he may not be far from the truth. The author leaves it open to interpretation whether or not Wes was actually guilty of the crime he is imprisoned for, but the fact that he was convicted when there was still considerable doubt about his innocence shows the extent to which he was profiled. It is almost as if the jury had already voted before he even walked in; Wes's assertion about expectations makes it clear that he thinks that he was imprisoned for his skin color and his reputation as opposed to any actions he actually made during the crime. For this reason, the "path" that Wes takes is one that goes directly to jail and will stay there for the rest of his life, because that is what society has expected from him all along and he feels powerless to do anything against it. The same idea can also be seen in the life of the author Wes Moore. At the beginning of his life, society had the same expectations for him as it did for the other Wes-- but this all changed when he joined the army. As an officer, Wes sets himself apart. He says that he was told upon being commissioned that "I was one of the youngest officers in the entire United States military" (134). Excelling in the army makes Wes more than just another hoodlum; he is above average, a man who leads other men. This has an obvious change on the way that society must view him. He has become a role model instead of a man to look down upon, someone who has broken through the mold and should be rewarded with scholarships and honors. Society now expects Wes to succeed, and so he does. Thus the path that the author Wes takes to South Africa on a Rhodes Scholarship and then back to America to become a business leader and well-known author began in military school when he turned around society's expectations of him, and in fact was only possible because of the aid of members of society (such as the assistant director of admissions at Johns Hopkins, Paul White) who had faith in his ability to do well. The final two chapters of "The Other Wes Moore" provide an interesting discussion on the effect that societal expectations have on the path that a person takes through life.
The third and final section of "The Other Wes Moore" is written primarily to explore the relation between societal expectations and the futures of the two young men. "Paths Taken and Expectations Fulfilled" thus refers to what society believes that each Wes Moore is capable of, as well as how this affects their thoughts and actions as adults. At the end of the story, it is clear that although the two Wes Moores's lives eventually diverged in more and more radical ways, the most important is in how they see themselves and how society sees them. Societal expectations can often be a good thing; for the author Wes Moore, they were largely what gave him the opportunity to succeed. But Moore also understands that there is a darker side. When society expects a man to do nothing with his life, sometimes he feels as though he has no choice.
The title "Paths Taken and Expectations Fulfilled" emphasizes the influence of an outside force on the life paths of the two Wes Moores. In the chapters that follow, it is clear that the "expectations" Moore writes about are not those of the two title characters, but instead those of a larger societal body. Early in the story, Moore writes about how Baltimore government used the reading scores of third graders to decide how many prison beds they need. This sets up an important theme that is present throughout the book, but especially in the final section: to the rest of society, the other Wes Moore is beyond saving. He is already gone. This idea is seen in the italicized section before the chapter "The Land That God Forgot," where the two men are having a conversation in jail. The other Wes Moore says, "'We will do what others expect of us... If they expect us to go to jail, then that's where we will end up too. At some point you lose control" (126). Wes truly believes that the reason he is in jail is that society has given up on him-- and he may not be far from the truth. The author leaves it open to interpretation whether or not Wes was actually guilty of the crime he is imprisoned for, but the fact that he was convicted when there was still considerable doubt about his innocence shows the extent to which he was profiled. It is almost as if the jury had already voted before he even walked in; Wes's assertion about expectations makes it clear that he thinks that he was imprisoned for his skin color and his reputation as opposed to any actions he actually made during the crime. For this reason, the "path" that Wes takes is one that goes directly to jail and will stay there for the rest of his life, because that is what society has expected from him all along and he feels powerless to do anything against it. The same idea can also be seen in the life of the author Wes Moore. At the beginning of his life, society had the same expectations for him as it did for the other Wes-- but this all changed when he joined the army. As an officer, Wes sets himself apart. He says that he was told upon being commissioned that "I was one of the youngest officers in the entire United States military" (134). Excelling in the army makes Wes more than just another hoodlum; he is above average, a man who leads other men. This has an obvious change on the way that society must view him. He has become a role model instead of a man to look down upon, someone who has broken through the mold and should be rewarded with scholarships and honors. Society now expects Wes to succeed, and so he does. Thus the path that the author Wes takes to South Africa on a Rhodes Scholarship and then back to America to become a business leader and well-known author began in military school when he turned around society's expectations of him, and in fact was only possible because of the aid of members of society (such as the assistant director of admissions at Johns Hopkins, Paul White) who had faith in his ability to do well. The final two chapters of "The Other Wes Moore" provide an interesting discussion on the effect that societal expectations have on the path that a person takes through life.
The third and final section of "The Other Wes Moore" is written primarily to explore the relation between societal expectations and the futures of the two young men. "Paths Taken and Expectations Fulfilled" thus refers to what society believes that each Wes Moore is capable of, as well as how this affects their thoughts and actions as adults. At the end of the story, it is clear that although the two Wes Moores's lives eventually diverged in more and more radical ways, the most important is in how they see themselves and how society sees them. Societal expectations can often be a good thing; for the author Wes Moore, they were largely what gave him the opportunity to succeed. But Moore also understands that there is a darker side. When society expects a man to do nothing with his life, sometimes he feels as though he has no choice.
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