45 pages • 1 hour read
S. A. CosbyRazorblade Tears
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Buddy Lee’s Knife
During the confrontation with Tariq, Buddy Lee retrieves his knife, even though this escalates tension. Buddy’s only explanation is that his father gave him the knife. He doesn’t speak of his father with great fondness, but the knife is all that he has left of him. It is a weapon and a memento. As he says: “When the people you love are gone, it’s the things they’ve touched that keep them alive in your mind” (248).
Arianna
Arianna symbolizes second chances and rebirth. Her parents are gone, but her grandparents will have a chance to do better with her than they did with their own children. When the novel ends, Ike tells Isiah that his primary goal is to be a better grandfather than he was a father. Like Isiah, Arianna shows an aptitude for boxing; this reflects how she is a continuation of him and offers Ike an opportunity for redemption.
Ike’s Tattoo
Ike could cover his prison tattoo, but he values it as a reminder of the person he no longer wants to be. The tattoo also symbolizes his street credibility. People who know what the tattoo means show him either respect or wariness. It is both a reminder of the past he wants to avoid, and a tool that inspires fear in his enemies. The tattoo’s presence could be what helps detectives like LaPlata to insist that he has never truly reformed.
Tears
At the beginning of the novel, Ike describes his tears as feeling like razorblades. This is different that the grief the other mourners show at the funeral. Ike’s tears are a combination of grief and regret. He knows that he did not do right by Isiah, and that he will never have another opportunity to be his father. At the end of the story, Cosby describes Isiah’s tears as being like the answer to a prayer for rain. The tears have changed meaning; they have shifted from being a source of pain to a symbol of freshness and renewal. They embody a new state of something closer to grace than rage.
Related Titles
By S. A. Cosby
