The Contender
Characters
Alfred Brooks
 James Mosely
 Henry Johnson
 Donatelli
 Aunt Pearl
 Bill Witherspoon
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Bud Martin
Lou Epstein
Hollis
Major
Hubbard
Uncle Wilson
Alfred Brooks
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Main character: Protagonist
African American youth who has dropped
out of high school
Works at a grocery story owned by the
Epsteins
Wants to become a boxer and works
rigorously to be a contender
Desires a sense of belonging yet wants to
be himself.
James Mosely
Alfred’s only so-called friend
 Attempts to rob the Epsteins’ grocery
store with Major and Hollis but is
caught by police
 Becomes a drug addict and
disregards Alfred
 Tries to rob the Epsteins’ grocery
again and is injured.
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Henry Johnson
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Works for Donatelli as an assistant trainer.
Disabled from polio as a child
Helps get Alfred home after Alfred is badly
beaten by Major and Hollis
Supports Alfred’s attempts at becoming a
boxer.
Plans to become a boxing manager like
Donatelli
Donatelli
Boxing manager who cares for his
fighters
 Encourages Alfred to try to be a
contender not only in the ring but in
life
 Does not allow his boxers to get badly
injured in a boxing match
 Is one of the only people that Alfred
feels he can trust
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Aunt Pearl
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A widow who is Alfred’s guardian
When she finds out that Alfred is boxing,
she tells him that she is glad he has finally
found something to be excited about; she
just wishes it wasn’t boxing.
Churchgoing woman who longs for a better
life
Admits that she did not do what she wanted
to do in her life. She wanted to be a singer
Has a sister who lives in Queens- a much
nicer neighborhood. She is proud of this.
Bill Witherspoon (Spoon)
Former boxer for Donatelli
 Donatelli and Spoon realized that
Spoon would never be a boxing
champion; therefore, Donatelli
encouraged him to quit and go to
college full-time
 Spoon became a teacher
 Mentors and encourages Alfred
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Bud Martin
An older man who has been a long
time assistant to Donatelli.
 Lands a strong punch to Red’s jaw
when Red starts causing trouble in the
gym
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Lou Epstein
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Former, good light-weight champion who
Bud describes as a thin-skinned bleeder.
Owner of the grocery store at which Alfred
works and that James, Hollis, and Major rob
Tells Alfred that boxing has become
dishonest due to television and corrupt
managers
Tells Alfred that he trusts him but that he
doesn’t want to tempt fate, meaning he
wants to trust Alfred, but questions his
ability to since Alfred sometimes runs with
Major, James, and Hollis.
Hollis and Major
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Try to rob the Epstein’s grocery after Alfred
tells them about the money in the register
Beat Alfred up for not telling them about the
alarm
Steal a car and takes it to Coney Island
Try to pressure Alfred to join their gang- get
him drunk, get him high on marijuana, hook
him up with a girl
Call Alfred “slave” for working at Epsteins’
Uncle Wilson
Married to Alfred’s Aunt Dorothy
 Lives in Queens
 Always brags about his son Jeff who
is attending college
 Tells Alfred that opportunities are
opening up for African-Americans who
have an education
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Hubbard
Ex-marine boxer who impressed
Alfred at Madison Square Garden
 Alfred’s last boxing opponent
 Pummels Alfred and wins the boxing
match.
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Setting
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Harlem, New York in 1960s during the
Civil Rights Movement
Plot
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Alfred Brooks is a young black man whose life
seems to be going nowhere. He has dropped
out of high school and works at a a grocery
store. Alfred desperately wants to be different,
be special. One night he wanders into a boxing
gym and meets a boxing manager who cares
about the fighters he trains. Alfred commits
himself to the rigor of training to become a
contender, not only a contender in the boxing
ring but in life. Although he works hard, Alfred
struggles to stay focused in an environment full
of distractions.
Themes
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“Nothing’s ever promised [to] you,” Donatelli
directly states this theme to Alfred at the
boxing gym.
Being a contender in life requires one to
“climb as far and as hard as he can.”
Donatelli also tells Alfred this at the gym.
Being individualistic and independent
requires one to have the courage to ignore
the pressures from peers to conform.
Links: Compare/Contrast
 Langston
Hughes
“Mother to Son”
Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no
crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet
on the floor— Bare.
But all the time I'se been aclimbin' on, And reachin'
landin's, And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So, boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps.
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now—
For I'se still goin', honey, I'se
still climbin', And life for me ain't
been no crystal stair.