Taking Sides

Tony Contreras is a Hispanic American basketball player who attends Franklin Junior High School in San Francisco’s Mission District. He is Lincoln’s lifelong best friend. The book begins and ends with his conversations with Lincoln, making him a marker for Lincoln’s character arc. Tony himself also has a character arc, which develops the theme of The Durability of Friendship. Tony always has their friendship’s best interests at heart, though Lincoln doesn’t always see it that way.

Lincoln and Tony’s argument at the thrift store exemplifies both the tensions within their friendship and its underlying strength, as well as (relatedly) Tony’s narrative role. Tony wants to pummel the store owner who he believes perpetrated the robbery that led to Lincoln’s moving away. Lincoln tries to calm him down, leading to an argument in which Tony accuses Lincoln of “livin’ with white folks too long” (53). Lincoln reacts defensively, highlighting his insecurities about his cultural and ethnic identity in the wake of his move. Tony fears much the same thing—that he is losing his best friend—and adopts the tough, macho attitude that he associates with Mission District life to compensate. Nevertheless, it is clear he just wants things to be the way they were and that his true motivation is to get justice for his friend.

Tony’s dedication to Lincoln and their friendship shines through when he sends Lincoln the $4 he owes him from a bet they made right before going into the store. Though the two have not spoken since their argument, the money represents Tony’s loyalty to Lincoln in all situations. The book’s conclusion underscores this; Tony buys the TV from the thrift shop as a Christmas present for Lincoln, showing that he has taken Lincoln’s words to heart and that his overriding concern is his friend’s happiness.

James and Roy are both white residents of the Sycamore area where Lincoln and his mother have recently moved. James lives on Lincoln’s street, and Roy is Lincolns mother’s new boyfriend. They serve as archetypes of the sidekick and mentor, respectively, tasked with helping Lincoln see that he can find common ground with those he might not expect.

The students at Columbus, Lincoln’s new school, initially strike him as stereotypes of affluence: “The kids dressed stylishly. When they smiled, their teeth gleamed with braces. It would never enter their minds to shop at K-mart or tote a bologna sandwich in a twice-used paper bag” (12). Lincoln is therefore surprised when he learns James’s father is a surveyor—“one of those guys you see standing in an orange vest by the freeway” (37), not a doctor or lawyer as he thought. When Lincoln is invited to James’ house, his attitude shifts further: Lincoln feels comfortable and accepted in the Kaehler’s home, which is not what he expected. He also feels comfortable with James, who jokes around and nicknames himself “Snake”—the opposite of the stuck-up stereotype Lincoln expected.

Roy serves a similar role in helping Lincoln reevaluate his preconceptions. Roy drives a “baby-blue BMW” and is present in Lincoln’s mother’s life. He helps around the house and takes her out. He is, at first, the opposite of Lincoln’s father, and while Lincoln does not know his father, he resents his mother dating a white man who seems like all the other white men in the neighborhood. This changes when Roy tells Lincoln that he attended Franklin Junior High and played basketball for them in the 1970s. Contrary to what Lincoln assumed, Roy grew up in a racially and culturally diverse environment and did not always lead a life of luxury.

Though both Roy and James are static characters, they present to Lincoln as dynamic because his perception of them changes. By embodying the notion of hidden depths, they help Lincoln understand that he can be himself, with all the contradictions that might seem to entail.