Razorblade Tears

During the confrontation with Tariq, Buddy Lee retrieves his knife, even though this escalates tension. Buddy’s only explanation is that his father gave him the knife. He doesn’t speak of his father with great fondness, but the knife is all that he has left of him. It is a weapon and a memento. As he says: “When the people you love are gone, it’s the things they’ve touched that keep them alive in your mind” (248).

Arianna symbolizes second chances and rebirth. Her parents are gone, but her grandparents will have a chance to do better with her than they did with their own children. When the novel ends, Ike tells Isiah that his primary goal is to be a better grandfather than he was a father. Like Isiah, Arianna shows an aptitude for boxing; this reflects how she is a continuation of him and offers Ike an opportunity for redemption.

Ike could cover his prison tattoo, but he values it as a reminder of the person he no longer wants to be. The tattoo also symbolizes his street credibility. People who know what the tattoo means show him either respect or wariness. It is both a reminder of the past he wants to avoid, and a tool that inspires fear in his enemies.