Little Scarlet Walter Mosley Analysis

In the novel, “Little Scarlet”, the author Walter Mosley is discussing the ordeal the riots have created in Watts. In 1965, riots had become the only way for people to express their feelings towards racial inequality. The 1965 riots also highlighted issues within the police department. The novel exposed crimes that were going on as a result of the riots. Throughout the novel, Walter Mosley introduces various characters to paint a picture of society in 1965. Mosley uses a murder as a twisted plot for justice. The murder case forces Rawlins to address the ethnic tribulations of the 1965 watts riots. Ezekiel Eazy Rawlins is the protagonist in the novel. Easy tries to initiate peace in the midst of the controversy surrounding the riots. Easy helps police investigate a crime that occurred at the time of the riots. He is asked to help conduct an investigation on the murder of Nola Payne, an African American woman that helped shelter a white man during the riot. Easy is also an African American citizen that has found himself helping the same people that undermined equality in Los Angeles.
Walter Mosley uses diverse characters such as easy, to recreate a suspenseful drama that unfolded in Los Angeles during the riots.
Melvin Suggs is a white detective that asks easy for help to solve the unreported crime of Nola Payne. He threatened easy, Suggs had knowledge that easy was unlicensed. Detective Suggs relays on easys “blackness” to help with the investigation. The detective wanted easy to question people without bringing too much attention to the murder of Nola Payne. The relationship between easy and Suggs is the only positive light among African Americans and whites during that era. Suggs made easy feel respected and created vulnerability in the anger black man Easy was supposed to be. Easy tried not to let his newfound respect for suggs, a white man, create a weakness inside
him. Walter Mosley uses Detective Suggs to announce a sign of hope within the black community. Society will change for the better, once different ethnic groups come together. He also symbolizes trust, easy trusted Suggs to help find the killer of Nola Payne(little scarlet). Walter Mosley helps readers view the influence of Suggs relationship with easy and the way it paused racial barriers set between blacks and whites in 1965. They were essentially outsiders of the LAPD. Raymond “Mouse” Alexander is easy’s bestfriend. He is sometimes irate and can't control his passionate ways. Mouse was disgusted by the racial barriers society has implemented and wants to find justice for little scarlet, "This shit has fucked me up. I'm lookin' for this killer and the streets I'm walking down today ain't what they were last week.” Mouse can be illustrated as an impulsively scary man. The author used Mouse to also illustrate the man that Easy could have been had it not been for his children and stewardess girlfriend. Gerald Jordan was the deputy police commissioner. Chief Jordan introduce the body of Nola Payne to easy. Easy thought the way Jordan handle situation weren't respectable. Easy said, “whenever Jordan smiled I wanted to slap his skinned face, the riots were still going on in my chest”, the way they treated Nola’s grieving aunt made Easy furious. Jordan lacked compassion and easy wanted to reinforce that in him. Although Easy had issues with the police department he appreciated them for allowing him to investigate Nola Paynes case. He faced adverse situations that allowed him to grow in all aspects of his life. Easy understood the growing struggles african Americans had against trusting white cops. Poverty, lack of trust, and anger fueled the fire in African Americans as well as Easy. Easy found therapy throughout the investigation, he didn't compromise his beliefs and continued to prevail. Each character represented the hope of black-white relations in America. Today's society has proven to be equally troublesome for African Americans. The obstacles many African Americans endured during 1965, are relevant in many impoverished communities today. Death, power and corruption continue to be a growing issue due to institutional racism. “Little Scarlet” is a very interesting novel that allows readers to examine the structure of Los Angeles in 1965.