Summary
Harri, along with his friends, family, and neighbors, enjoys the carnival, where Lydia, Chanelle, and Miquita perform as part of the Dance Club. Through the binoculars he wins in a raffle, Harri watches his pigeon, as well as Killa (who tries to burn Miquita with a lighter) and the "pissheads" who are throwing cans at police cars.
On Sunday, church services are postponed after the Dell Farm Crew vandalize the space by shattering the windows and spray painting curse words and "DFC" on the walls. Harri suggests joining the Catholic Church that held the dead boy's funeral, but his mother refuses. Harri imagines that if he joins the Dell Farm Crew, he can teach them about God and convince them to give up crime and do service projects, like Harri and his friend group did back in Ghana. Harri shares his idea with Lydia, who advises him to steer clear of the gang because he needs "the right friends." When Harri accuses Lydia of hypocrisy, as Miquita is a bad influence, Lydia argues that "it's different for girls," and she is not in any danger.
Harri's friends and classmates mock his sneakers, which he decorated with a marker to look like Adidas shoes. Embarrassed and angry, Harri decides to join the Dell Farm Crew. The crew gives him a new mission: stand by while they rob Mr. Frimpong. The Dell Farm Crew knocks the older man over, injuring him, before destroying his groceries and stealing his wallet. Harri, sickened and afraid, runs away, even though failing two missions means he'll "never get in" to the crew and will likely become their enemy. The text then switches to the perspective of the pigeon, who explains that he intentionally walked by with bread to dissuade Harri from going through with the mission.
At school, X-Fire threatens Harri, pointing his fingers like a gun, which symbolizes "if you tell, you die." Harri and Dean then help Terry Takeaway, whose pit bull Asbo chews on the body of a dead man in the bushes. Harri and Dean decide to teach Asbo how to "smell evil" in order to catch the dead boy's killer. Immediately after, Asbo jumps on Killa, confirming Harri's suspicions that the Dell Farm Crew wants to kill him.
Harri and Jordan play football in the apartment building hallways. Jordan kicks the ball to intentionally hurt Harri, who doesn't understand and believes the football is "magnetic or something." Then, "Fag Ash Lil," Harri's elderly neighbor, walks past. Harri is afraid of her, but Jordan kicks the football, intentionally hitting her in the face. Jordan reassures Harri that "Fag Ash Lil" won't hurt them because Jordan will retaliate using his "war knife."
Miquita and Chanelle visit Lydia and flatiron her hair. While Miquita has the hot iron near Lydia's face, she asks Lydia if she is with or against the Dell Farm Crew and burns Lydia with the iron.
Poppy and Harri begin innocently dating. They hold hands, talk, and play together. After school, Dizzy, one of the Dell Farm Crew, threatens to kill Harri and begins to chase him. Harri, not understanding he is in danger, extends the chase.
Analysis
Harri tries to justify his interest in joining the gang with the ulterior motive of converting the Dell Farm Crew to Christianity. This justification is an example of verbal irony, as the reader understands that Harri simply wants to join the gang. Since Harri is an unreliable narrator, the text uses well-placed anecdotes and observations that force the reader to question if Harri is telling the truth. For example, immediately after the Dell Farm Crew vandalizes Harri's church, Harri complains that his mother won't buy him a hoodie because it will mark him as a gang member. However, Harri says he only wants a hoodie "to keep [his] ears warm," a blatant lie. Harri then says he "hate[s] it when Mamma calls [him] a liar."
Harri's pigeon arrives right before Harri embarks on his second mission. Harri tries to ignore the pigeon because he could miss his "sign," the signal to begin the robbery. The pigeon's appearance is itself a "sign" in the supernatural sense because the pigeon attempts to dissuade Harri from going through with his initiation. These "signs" (the crew's signal and the pigeon's appearance) evoke the theme of "pidgin" communication. Harri, his pigeon, and the Dell Farm Crew establish methods of shorthand communication, contributing to Harri's lexicon and understanding of his environment.
When the pigeon appears to stop the robbery, it is not alone: "two other birds" chase the pigeon because "they wanted his bread." These birds are an allegory for Harri and the Dell Farm Crew. Harri is still sympathetic to the pursuing birds because they "only wanted some bread." Thus, through the allegory, the reader is asked to sympathize with the Dell Farm Crew and recognize that, though the teens harass Harri and commit senseless crimes, they are still children who grew up under difficult, dangerous circumstances.
After Harri runs from his second mission, he throws his coat down the rubbish chute since he has to "dispose of the evidence." However, Harri also "throws away" "his" Mustang (i.e. his neighbor's car which he pretends to own) since he "didn't even want it anymore." The placement of this statement indicates that Harri feels guilt and shame over his involvement with the Dell Farm Crew. Harri then reinforces his guilt by claiming that "the Devil is too strong around here." By this, Harri means that the social pressures of his school and community constantly tempt him toward "sin."
In Ghana, while living in a supportive environment, "the devil only tempted [him] one time." The "temptation" Harri refers to is innocent and sweet: the devil "tempted" Harri to steal ice so he and the other children could have a "water fight." Because Harri refers to both acts as "temptations," one innocent and one violent, the text illustrates that Harri does not fully understand the difference between the Dell Farm Crew's activities and harmless pranks. This tension adds to the text's sense of dramatic irony, as Harri frequently fails to grasp the danger he faces.
When Harri confronts Lydia for cleaning the blood-soaked clothing, he feels justified in upsetting her because "she had to learn her lesson." Harri explains that "doing something bad on purpose is worse than doing it by mistake" because people can heal from mistakes, but "on purpose doesn't just break you, it breaks the whole world bit by bit." Although poignant, Harri's statement is ironic because soon after his proclamation, he chooses to try a second mission with the Dell Farm Crew, even though he knows he might harm someone.
After he abets Mr. Frimpong's mugging, Harri begins to draw his scars without stitches because a scar with stitches is "just a cut." Harri's new style of drawing scars marks a transition in his character arc. The "scars" represent the emotional damage inflicted on Harri by his environment, made permanent after Harri loses his innocence by helping the Dell Farm Crew.
Harri and Altaf discuss different types of superheroes, debating if it is better to be born with powers or receive them. Harri compares the heroes to Ananse, a trickster god from Akan mythology. Harri begins recognizing different types of power in his conversation with Altaf: he initially gravitates to the Dell Farm Crew for protection and status.
X-Fire makes "a gun with his finger," which Harri takes to mean "if you tell you die." This symbol is a disturbing addition to Harri's "pidgin." Many of the words Harri learns from his peers are disturbing, violent, or sexual, indicating that Harri develops his sense of identity in a hostile environment.
When Terry Takeaway's dog, Asbo, finds meat in the bushes, Harri remembers a dead body is in the bushes and "hoped the meat wasn't from him." This disturbing image is an example of understatement. Harri's observation that a dead body is rotting near the playground is shocking but related in a matter-of-fact tone, indicating that Harri considers the dead body a commonplace part of his environment. The understatement is even more striking since Harri often speaks in hyperbole. For example, Harri states that Fag Ash Lil is "the oldest person [he's] ever seen, at least two hundred years. When she was little there were no cars and every day was a war."
Harri relates a list of "wars" that includes Kids vs. Teachers, Emos vs. Sunshine, and God vs. Allah. The juxtaposition of conflicts, which vary in severity, is both amusing and telling. By calling all disputes, from the metaphysical to the petty, "wars," the text reinforces that because of his youth, Harri cannot distinguish danger from safety and games from reality. To further illustrate this point, Harri lengthens his chase with Dizzy because he enjoys running and "hometime is the best for chases." Harri clearly fails to understand that the Dell Farm Crew intends to harm him.
Harri demarcates "lines" that define where Harri is allowed to explore. Harri understands that kids "fight all the wars" by the train tracks but that the hiding places—like the bins, bushes, and church—are safe. Harri's spatial negotiation exemplifies the theme of "pidgin" understanding.
Harri decides to play "war" by himself. To put himself in the correct mindset, he "pretended like God forgot [him]," which permitted him to "do all the bad war things and not even have to feel it." This act of imaginary play lends insight into Harri's understanding of faith and superstition. The concept of God plays a dynamic role in Harri's life: he attributes a plane's successful landing to his prayers, and Agnes's fever to his misbehavior. Harri sees God as both a punisher and a protector; he enjoys a more secure attachment to his pigeon, who acts as a stand-in for God or a guardian angel.
