Tommy by John Edgar Wideman
"Tommy" by John Edgar Wideman is a narrative centered on Tommy Lawson, a young man navigating the desolate streets of Homewood, a once-thriving Black community now marked by decay and despair. The story reflects on the legacy of resilience and hardship, embodied by figures like Tommy’s grandfather, who once filled the area with life. However, in the aftermath of societal upheaval, Homewood has transformed into a no-man's-land where hope is scarce.
Tommy's current life involves risky schemes with his friend Ruchell, as they concoct a plan to escape their bleak surroundings by hustling a car salesperson. Their operation takes a dangerous turn when violence erupts, leading to unintended consequences that trap them in a cycle of crime and desperation. As they hide from the law, Tommy grapples with the weight of his choices and the burden of unfulfilled dreams, reflecting on his past and yearning for freedom amidst his grim reality. Ultimately, "Tommy" explores themes of aspiration, the impact of environment on personal fate, and the complex interplay between dreams and the harshness of life.
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Tommy by John Edgar Wideman
First published: 1981
Type of plot: Psychological
Time of work: The mid-1970's, not long after the Vietnam War
Locale: Homewood, a decaying black neighborhood in the urban Northeast
Principal Characters:
Tommy Lawson , the streetwise protagonist, a directionless black youth longing to leave his crumbling homeRuchell , his hip, jive partner in crimeIndovina , a fraudulent, parasitic white salespersonChubby , the businessperson's Uncle Tomish sidekickJohn Lawson , Tommy's elder brother who has escaped the ghetto
The Story
Tommy Lawson is strolling through the deserted streets of Homewood, a once populous black community now demarcated by boarded-up buildings and cracked sidewalks. Both he and the city streets share a legacy of tough, charismatic individuals: from Tommy's grandfather John French, who jived and jitterbugged until he "got too old and got saved," to the ice-ball vendor Mr. Strayhorn, who in his youth garnered such a reputation that no one yet will shake him down for money. However, now neither the young man nor the blocks where he bebopped have bright futures. Homewood has become a no-man's-land since the 1960's riots, so Tommy shoots pool with the junkies and assorted drifters in the Velvet Slipper.
Today, however, Tommy stalks the Avenue, lost in reminiscence, for he has found a way to escape. He and his running buddy, Ruchell, whose full-time occupation is getting as high as possible, plan to finance their flight by swindling a crooked car-salesperson. They have alerted this hustler, Indovina, to a truckload of stolen television sets that they will deposit at his business for a fee. (Actually, nothing is in their borrowed van except carpeting left there by its owner.) While Tommy closes the deal inside the white man's office, Ruchell will stand guard by the goods. Then, as Indovina's bodyguard Chubby approaches to inspect the cache, Ruchell will corner him with a gun. Tommy simultaneously will hold up Indovina. Certain that the Italian will not report the incident for fear of being charged himself, the two young men will "score and blow" to the West Coast.
However, this scam soon sours. Ruchell shoots Chubby when he sees the hefty man reaching for a concealed weapon. Panicking at the sound of shots, Tommy pistol-whips Indovina and flees toward the van, too hysterical to grab any money first. Hunted now, the unlucky pair hides away from Homewood with Tommy's older brother John Lawson and his family.
Ironically, at last Tommy and Ruchell have severed the old neighborhood's hold. Charged with first-degree murder, they literally cannot return to it. However, their prospects are burdensome rather than uplifting and inspiring.
Tommy especially feels the dead weight of his misbegotten dream. After assuring his brother, "I'm happy you got out. One of us got out anyway," the pursued man lies on a bed thinking about Christmases past. He dwells on not the toys and food, but the sleepless, futile nights spent listening for Santa, watching for the flying reindeer. Again he finds himself with a dream he longs to confirm: being free. Even if it does not make sense given his circumstances, he still yearns for it to come true.
Bibliography
Baker, Lisa. "Storytelling and Democracy (in the Radical Sense): A Conversation with John Edgar Wideman." African American Review 34, no. 2 (Summer, 2000): 263-272.
Bell, Bernard W. The Afro-American Novel and Its Tradition. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1987.
Bennion, John. "The Shape of Memory in John Edgar Wideman's Sent for You Yesterday." Black American Literature Forum 20 (1985): 143-150.
Byerman, Keith E. John Edgar Wideman: A Study of the Short Fiction. New York: Twayne, 1998.
Callaloo 22, no. 3 (Summer 1999). Special issue on Wideman.
Coleman, James W. Blackness and Modernism: The Literary Career of John Edgar Wideman. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1990.
Hume, Kathryn. "Black Urban Utopia in Wideman's Later Fiction." Race & Class 45, no. 3 (January-March, 2004): 19-34.
Lucy, Robin. "John Edgar Wideman (1941- )." In Contemporary African American Novelists: A Biographical-Bibliographic Critical Sourcebook, edited by Emmanuel S. Nelson. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 1999.
Lustig, Jessica. "Home: An Interview with John Edgar Wideman." African American Review, Fall, 1992, 453-457.
Mbalia, Dorothea Drummond. John Edgar Wideman: Reclaiming the African Personality. Selinsgrove, Pa.: Susquehanna University Press, 1995.
Rushdy, Ashraf H. A. "Fraternal Blues: John Edgar Wideman's Homewood Trilogy." Contemporary Literature, Fall, 1991, 312-345.
TuSmith, Bonnie. Conversations with John Edgar Wideman. Jackson: University of Mississippi Press, 1998.