Redemption refers to the act of getting saved from error, sin or evil. It is the act of delivering oneself from sin and preventing evil. Redemption involves making up for something bad that an individual may have committed. ‘Always outnumbered, always outgunned’ is a novel by Walter Mosley. The novel follows the story of Socrates Fortlow. Socrates has come out of an eight year prison sentence from Indiana state penitentiary (Walter 21). This paper will analyze redemption as a recurring theme through the novel. Throughout the novel, the author focuses attention on the main character, Socrates, as he tries to make up for the lost time in prison, the wrongs he committed in the past, and his efforts at avoiding further crime and mistakes.
The paper examines Socrates as he learns his emotions and internal motives as he seeks redemption.
After life in prison, Socrates gets concerned with doing well in a society filled with much evil. Socrates undergoes personal rehabilitation after prison to transform into a compassionate and perceptive individual. He learns to restrain himself from violence and control his short temper and rage. In a confrontation with Ralphie his neighbor, Socrates gets forced to control his temper to evade getting physical with him. Socrates believes Ralphie overlooks him and eyes him with suspicion as though he is an animal (Walter 61). Ralphie demeans Socrates by making him aware of his insecurities of old age and virility. In the past, Socrates would have hurt anyone for the slightest reason such as getting ignored the way Ralphie did to him. Socrates ability to learn to control his fists makes him avoid the confrontation. Through this confrontation, Socrates exhibits maturity in this confrontation as he learns to control his short temper further.
Luvia Prine, who is a self proclaimed Christian, condemns Socrates’ transformation. She is aware of his questionable past and thus believes he is a wrong influence on Right Burke. She demeans Socrates and his efforts to seek redemption. Socrates believes Luvia’s duty as a Christian is to help those in need like him as they seek redemption. Socrates tells Daryl that even though Christian’s believed in redemption, he would have to die in order to achieve it (Walter 56). He also tells Daryl that only when he dies, would Luvia have a few pleasant words to say about him. This illustrates the difficult road that Socrates faces while he seeks redemption. It provides an illustration of religious confusion and contradiction that stands in the way of Socrates path to redemption.
In an effort to make his life better, Socrates also actively looks for a job. Socrates actively seeks for employment at the bounty supermarket without giving up. While seeking for the job, it gets obvious that the manager and her assistant want to deny Socrates a chance to apply. They treat him with contempt (Walter 66). This does not discourage Socrates as he keeps on checking his application for several days. He manages to land a job in another store where he gets readily accepted.
Under the theme of redemption, Socrates gets tasked with getting rid off evil in society. After the meeting with Right, Howard, Stony, and Markhem, Socrates gets told to ‘speak’ to Petis about the group’s decision (Walter 29). Howard’s daughter witnessed Petis robbing and murdering Leroy. The group decided to banish Petis from their neighborhood lest they would kill him if he stayed around. Socrates manages to recover a weapon from Petis and gives him the warning to leave the neighborhood. Socrates gets to redeem himself by getting rid off a murderer in the neighborhood just as he also got sentenced to prison.
Conclusion
Redemption involves preventing oneself from evil. In the novel, Socrates redeems himself to society through various actions. He desperately wants to live a better life than before he got sentenced to prison. In his path to redemption, he faces struggles within a society filled with evil. He manages to change his fortunes and leave a positive impact on his society.
Works Cited
Mosley, Walter. Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned. New York: W.W. Norton, 1998.
