Maverick, Uncle Carlos, and Fatherhood in The Hate U Give Paper Example

Maverick and Uncle Carlos are two characters in the novel "The Hate You Give Character" who have provided the father figure role to Starr (the main character). Maverick, who is the father of Starr and a husband to Lisa as well as a former criminal, was born in a family background of crime since his father was a drug dealer. For this reason, Maverick spent three years in prison but was determined to leave the gang life and take care of his family. Therefore, the years spent in jail were exchanged to get out the King Lords, an act that helps DeVante later also abandon the gang life. Maverick, also referred to as "Big May," owns a small grocery store located in Garden Heights and is perceived as a community pillar.

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Uncle Carlos is Lisa's elder brother, and he is a police officer who acted as a second father figure to Starr. He helped take care of Maverick's children while he was imprisoned, a thing that created tension between him (Carlos) and his brother in law (Maverick). Carlos happens to be very close to Starr, where they have frequent family meetups in his beautiful house in a gated community for barbeques.

More often, Maverick clashed with his brother in law partly because of insecurity; while Maverick was in prison, Carlos fathered his children. When Maverick gets back from jail, he dedicates his time to improve the lives of the community. Among other things, Maverick imparts teachings from the Black Panthers and advocates for the fight against police brutality. However, Maverick's standpoint is contrary to Carlos's reason: he perceives the law simply as another form of racial injustice, and at the same time, Carlos believes in the power of the law.

Despite the existing conflicts between the two characters, Maverick and Carlos have a common interest in the Starr, and that is, they have Starr's best interests at heart.

Both characters played a pertinent role in shaping Starr; they were a big influence on Starr's life. Starr seemed to pick the best side from the viewpoint of each, which was displayed throughout the novel. First, Uncle Carlos, as a policeman, presented in an era of Black Lives Matter; she witnessed her friend being killed, which was the advent of riots. As much as it confused her, she stood strong in the protest in adherence to the law.

On the other hand, Maverick had a divergent stance from that of Uncle Carlos; thus, he imparted the Black Lives Matter teachings and the fight against police brutality. The teachings from both characters made Starr since their opinions were divergent, and because her mother had left her work as a nurse in a black people hospital for a white people hospital, thus she was confused between choosing the whites or the blacks. However, she decides to fight for the rights of the fellow blacks based on the teachings her dad had thought her.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the presence of both characters in Starr's life created divergence views amongst them, and at the same time, they had a common interest towards Starr. All this largely influenced Starr as she continued to encounter various obstacles throughout the novel. Some encounters were decisive thanks to the characters.

Work Cited

Thomas, Angie. The hate u give. cbt Verlag, 2017.