Wes Moore Character Analysis

There is a sickness destroying lives on every surface of the world, which can be eradicated with out spending a single dollar or loosing a single life to any medical trial. That disease is the vitriolic way in which the world treats its citizens. The world has an innate way of tearing down others for the sake of succeeding but success is possible with out the destruction of the individual. The author Wes Moore had a healthy self-image reinforced through strong influential characters in his life and stable relationships. The other Wes Moore however was not as fortunate as the man whose namesake he shares; he was conditioned with a negative image strengthened by the social situations he engaged in. Self-image plays a monumental roll in the success of a person and the world adds to that in either of two ways: with compassion, unyielding support, and positive expectations or the world uses harsh criticism, harmful judgments and negative impressions. Self-esteem is critical in respect to the development of young children in …show more content…
Wes learned fast to use an indifferent expression like that described in the book as,” The ice grille… A look of blank hostility that masks two intense feelings… But the tough façade is just a way to hide a deeper pain or depression that kids don’t know how to deal with. A bottomless chasm of insecurity and self-doubt that gnaws at them”. Although his mother did the best she could but Wes never learned the proper coping techniques needed to handle his crippling self-doubts. This caused him to revert the aforementioned mask much like that mentioned in “We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar, “We wear the mask that grins and lies/…With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,/…Why should the world be over wise,/… In counting all our tears and sighs?/” Wes learned early on to hide his feelings of weakness from a world he was struggling to find his place