The Contender - Theme

What do you think about a book with drugs, alcohol and violence?  To be honest I'm reading a book with all those things right now.  "The Contender" by Robert Lipstye takes place in Harlem with a boy named Alfred who's a highschool dropout and works in a grocery store. His bestfriend is sinking into drug addiction and has people after him for their mistakes and are blaming him for it. Alfred wants to be somebody; not just a teen who never made it. He then joins a boxing club at thr gym runned by Mr. Donatelli; hoping that it will get his life back on track.  In my opinion the theme of this story is life is hard but it's what you do with it that makes it better.
   For example, Alfred is always doubting because thats what people are always telling him; that he'll never make it. "You just a slave," sneered Major "You was born a slave. You gonna die a slave". This shows how people in Harlem especially Major see themselves in the Harlem community.  Major is basically telling Alfred to not waste his time on something that will never happen because of his race. Another example, us when the police arrives. "Always lookin' to put his foot on a black throat". The community doesn't approve of others (the whites) because they believe they only want the best for their own race and not doing their job which is supposed to be to protect everyone in the communtiy.
    Although people doubt that anyone can make anything gold of themselves when living in Harlem; Mr. Donatelli thinks otherwise. "You have to start by wanting to be a contender, the man coming up, the man who knows there's a good chance he'll never get to the top, the man who's willing to sweat and bleed to get up as high as his legs and his brains and his heart will take him". This shows how Mr. Donatelli gives hope and knows what it takes to make it. This encourages Alfred to work hard and believe in himself so he can make his dream happen. However, even the smallest things can change your life.
     When Alfred goes out to find James Alfred is then persuaded by Major he does things he later regrets. "- and it was pitch dark in the clubroom. The wine bottles kept coming around, and the cigarettes". This shows how any mistake no matter how big or how small can mess your life up quickly. Your actions your responsibility. 
   Although I haven't finished reading this book the theme is still very clear. It shows how Alfred's ups and downs are what help him succeed in life. Living in Harlem is a challenge and Alfred finally stopped using that as an excuse. Alfred is finally doing something with his life... let's just see if he actually accomplishes something.