The First Part Last Analysis

Things have to change." In the First Part Last, written by Johnson, the protagonist Bobby has to overcome his youthfulness, he has to change. He has a girlfriend, Nia, who is caring a baby girl. She learns to grow along with Bobby and give him the strength to help raise Feather, the baby. In order for Bobby to grow he needs to find himself after all the change in his life and lets some things go as well. There are several objects that deeply symbolize the change Bobby goes through while he is struggling to come of age. The red balloon that Bobby is given by Nia symbolizes Nia giving away her dreams, and providing love to Bobby as he is coming of age. In order for Bobby to become an adult he needs to find himself. The balloon represents all
Bobby goes to set down his basketball and it rolls of into his mothers room. "I lay my basketball down and it rolled out the door into the hall and toward Mary's room." The room the ball rolls into is important because the basketball, or his childhood, goes to his mother's room, which is were his childhood began. Bobby has to start putting his child before himself and give up the the small kid activities like basketball and playing at the arcade. He never plays basketball for the rest of the story. This could prove that Bobby has grown into a man. Bobby gave up basketball and what is symbolizes, his childhood, in order to come of age in the world he is
Nia gives Bobby all her hopes and dreams in the world by explaining the hot air balloon dream she had to him. The red balloon symbolizes all the love Nia gives to Bobby and the wall exemplifies those that are close to Bobby. The doctors note is everything Bobby believes he needs to help him out as he is raising Feather. The note one of the few things he still is trying to hold onto from his childhood and when the basketball rolls away he starts to grow away from all those childish things we was so associated with. When Bobby creates the images on the wall he draws only the things most important to him in life, his family and friends. He uses the wall to find himself and tries to change by doing so. "Things have to change," this quote from Bobby is something he said in the beginning. Bobby had to change in order for him to come of age. I believe all the symbolic objects he has encountered have helped him in that process and he truly has