Scorpions

Jamal and Tito are best friends and close as “brothers,” but they are characterized quite differently in the novel. How does Myers compare and contrast Tito and Jamal in the novel?

Jamal often feels like things are happening to him instead of him making things happen. How does Myers explore the idea of agency in the novel?

Most of the characters in the story are boys and men. However, Mama and Abuela are well-developed characters who are revered by the male protagonists—Jamal and Tito. How are these maternal figures represented in the novel, and what does this say about gender?

Myers features many New York landmarks in Scorpions, including Marcus Garvey Park, Grant’s Tomb, and 42nd Street (“The Deuce”). These iconic settings create an authentic backdrop, but they are also chosen for their figurative significance. How to these landmarks function symbolically in the text?

The conclusion of Scorpions is open-ended. Jamal has managed to survive his scrape with his brother’s gang, but it’s unclear what even his immediate future holds. In what ways is the ending ambiguous, and to what effect does Myers leave Jamal—and the reader—in limbo?

Scorpions includes many descriptions of non-human characters: dogs, sparrows, pigeons, etc. Why does Myers have Jamal observe these details and scenes throughout the narrative? What symbolic role do they play?

The main characters in Scorpions are Black or Hispanic. Which characters are identified as “white” in the narrative, and why is that significant? What does the novel suggest about race and ethnicity in 1980s New York City?

Although cops, lawyers, judges, and prison officers are minor, peripheral characters in the novel, how does Scorpions function as a commentary on the institution they represent: the legal system?