The man “holding the shovel handle” gains automatic respect from those immediately near him because this tool can be used as a powerful weapon. Also, the fact that he “walked right up to the truck bumper” (italics added) displays that he is not hesitant or unsure in what he is doing, and there is a purpose to his action. Furthermore, he “stared at the boys” which shows that they are occupying his thoughts at the present time, and he wants, or at least does not care, them to realize this and notice his presence. Moreover, these actions are meant to instill a sense of fear, or at the very least alertness, to the fact that in that moment he can physically affect the turn of events. Additionally, he approaches the boys sporting a “half smile, half sneer” which is further described as being “conjured from power without benefit of love.” This look is as much a signal to the boys as it is a natural physical demonstration of how he feels mentally and emotionally at that time. The look shows that he has significant control over the development of the situation, he does not consider the boys to be a major threat, and he is not significantly nervous about how to proceed. Lastly, he does not speak at a normal volume but yells, “What did you say, boy?” He is demanding direct attention while also showing little to no respect for the individual by addressing him as “boy.”
Tension is shown to be extremely high when the “murmuring noise on the street fell.” Those who were involved in any of a number of activities on the street discontinued what they were doing, because the imminent conflict commanded their attention. Even a dog on the street “dropped his ears and slunk off under a parked car.” Although animals might not be able to fully understand specific words of human language, they can sense tension and evaluate and respond to physical surroundings and body language. To further illustrate the heightened state of stress the audience sees anxiety manifested as “Jackson bite[s] down, causing a tiny ripple across his jaw.” At one point, the conflict proved to be too overwhelming for Lily to handle, and she temporarily removed herself mentally by closing her eyes.
The man’s anger and bravado blinded him to the sense of any danger and he was hit in the face with a cola bottle thrown by Jackson. The man’s vulnerability was shown as he bled profusely, dropped the shovel handle, his weapon, and had to look “back to the other men” for support. Moreover, he was “confused for a moment” and sounded “more surprised than anything.”
Both sides of the conflict showed their loyalty to the members of their group. The white men demonstrated support for their injured acquaintance by approaching the boys and physically surrounding them, “hemming them in against the truck.” The boys showed support for Jackson by physically staying put and not offering up his name to the inquiring men. Lily knew the simple way for Zach to get out of the situation quickly, but also “knew that being a snitch was considered the lowest sort of person.” Zach communicated through a shrug of his shoulders and continuing to “stand there and be one of them.”
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