The Other Wes Moore: Family Influences

A person’s development and outcome is directly associated with the type of influences they have in their lives. Whether they are good influences or bad, there is a strong correlation between the character of a person and the type of people by which they are influenced. Often family members, especially parents, act as the most influential factor in a person’s life. The influence of family members was one of the major themes in The Other Wes Moore. Both Wes’ were significantly influenced by at least one, if not more, close family member and the influence these people had on the Wes’ lives respectively shaped the people they ultimately became.
Coincidently, both Wes’ grew up without a father figure in their lives. Wes the author’s, father died in front of him when he was only three years old. The other Wes’s father chose to leave him and his mother Mary when Wes was born. Both Wes’ lacked a father figure in their lives to act as a role model for them and as a result, they both turned to other people in their lives to act as their role models. Joy, Wes the author’s mother, significantly influenced her son as he grew up fatherless. She always wanted the best for Wes and made enormous sacrifices to ensure a better life for her son. She worked two jobs and used up almost all of her money to …show more content…
The other Wes’ mother tried very hard to give her son the best; however, she was forced to drop out of college because she had Wes at a young age and without his father around she simply could not make ends meet. The other Wes did not have a strong parental influence and so his older brother Tony became his role model growing up. Unfortunately, Tony was caught up in the drug game in Baltimore and although he tried to steer his younger brother, Wes, away from this lifestyle, Tony’s lifestyle ultimately influenced him towards a similar life corrupted by drugs and