In the novel Getting Ghost by Luke Bergmann, the street drug trade in Detroit is one of the most important social institutions for young African American people. Detroit was one of the most prosperous cities in the 1950s and 1960s where many people flocked to find better jobs and a better future for their family. Unfortunately, the economic wealth and prosperity of the city dramatically declined as the jobs in the automobile and manufacturing industries were being outsourced. There were many other various factors that escalated the deterioration of the city which includes various discriminatory practices and racism, which ultimately lead to the great white flight phenomenon. These factors made a huge impact on the lives of everyday African
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As they age, the idea of selling drugs for the rest of their life to make a living is ridiculous as they hit other milestones of their life that makes life worth living. Dude, a teenage guy in the novel Getting Ghost, explains his life outlook for what he strives in the future after his life was ruined from being involved in the street drug trade. He suffered the social repercussions and went to prison for being in the drug trade, Dude wants to put his drug dealing and mischievous past behind him and start his life new by striving for the idea of finding and staying in a home where he can finally settle down instead of being out on the streets all the time. He has to be “the man” in his household since his brothers are either locked up in prison or are on the run from law enforcement. For these reasons, Dude thinks he will hopefully have a better and brighter future where he can support those who have helped him such as Ruby, his mother (Bergmann 2009:133-134). Luke Bergmann pointed out that Dude talked about the importance of family and settling down. This temporal pattern has been spoken out by various inmates in the prison Dude stayed. The inmates wanted to strive for a better life outside of their current situation in prison where they contemplated what were they doing with their
As they age, the idea of selling drugs for the rest of their life to make a living is ridiculous as they hit other milestones of their life that makes life worth living. Dude, a teenage guy in the novel Getting Ghost, explains his life outlook for what he strives in the future after his life was ruined from being involved in the street drug trade. He suffered the social repercussions and went to prison for being in the drug trade, Dude wants to put his drug dealing and mischievous past behind him and start his life new by striving for the idea of finding and staying in a home where he can finally settle down instead of being out on the streets all the time. He has to be “the man” in his household since his brothers are either locked up in prison or are on the run from law enforcement. For these reasons, Dude thinks he will hopefully have a better and brighter future where he can support those who have helped him such as Ruby, his mother (Bergmann 2009:133-134). Luke Bergmann pointed out that Dude talked about the importance of family and settling down. This temporal pattern has been spoken out by various inmates in the prison Dude stayed. The inmates wanted to strive for a better life outside of their current situation in prison where they contemplated what were they doing with their