Football Genius

“An owl hooted somewhere close. A rabbit screamed, then went quiet. The crickets stopped, and only the buzz of mosquitoes filled the air.”

Troy’s connection to nature is a recurring motif throughout the novel. By pointing out these sounds, Troy becomes mysteriously associated with nature. Furthermore, the scream of the rabbit hints at a danger that lurks where Troy is travelling, creating a sense of foreboding. The audience realizes Troy is entering into a world of danger.

“He opened his mouth to tell her that it wasn’t a guess, that he somehow just knew. Today, he felt it stronger than he ever had before. Maybe it was because he was right there, on the sideline, seeing it, hearing it, smelling it, living it. The gift inside him felt like a lamp with its shade suddenly pulled off.”

Here it becomes established that Troy’s genius is not something he makes, steals, or needs to develop. It is a natural, instinctive aptitude that simply comes to him. The fact that the gift becomes stronger as his senses identify the people playing the game again suggest that here is a receptivity that Troy has to the universe that is expressed through football.

“They loved him. He was a hero, a great player, but a great guy, too. He was the guy who handed out toys to homeless kids at Christmas and who dished out soup to street people at the downtown shelters on Tuesday evenings, his day off. Troy loved him for that, but he loved him just as much for his big hits.”

Seth embodies everything that Troy admires in a man and wants to emulate in life. Throughout the novel, Troy attempts to do well in order to help his mother. Seth acts as a role model for Troy, exhibiting how to behave not only as a football player but also as a human in the community. Seth’s benevolence with the homeless and less fortunate mirrors Tessa’s generous behavior with the man who sells boiled peanuts in Chapter 5, giving the two characters a common ground.

“‘I hate football,’ he said, staring into her brown eyes, trying to keep his own from filling up. ‘Hang on,’ she said. She disappeared for a few minutes, then came back out in a pair of cutoff jeans and a big T-shirt with her bathing suit underneath. She followed him to the tracks.”

This moment marks a key point in Tate and Troy’s relationship. Before going to Tate’s house, Troy had gone to see Nathan first. Nathan was more interested in watching the Chicago Bears game with his father than he was in Troy. As a result, he did not pick up on the queues that Troy was hurt emotionally and needed support. When Troy tells Tate he hates football, Tate immediately recognizes this as out of character. She therefore accompanies Troy down to the river to support him. This highlights the beginning of a strong relationship between Tate and Troy.

“Instead of taking the dirt path down the bank like Tate did, Troy kept going, following the tracks out onto the trestle. When he got to the middle, he stopped. ‘What’re you doing?’ Tate asked. She had come back up the path and was walking toward him along the tracks. His breath was coming short and fast. He felt like he needed to do something crazy, something wild, maybe even something that would get him hurt. Sometimes high school kids would build fires in the woods and drink cans of beer, then jump off the trestle into the Hooch. Everyone heard the story about the kid who jumped off the bridge one time and broke his back on a floating log.”

After his embarrassment at the Cowboys game, Troy does not know how to react. He is aware that he has stepped into a new world but seems to not belong there. When he thinks about older kids who have jumped from the trestle into the river, he wonders if that is what maturity is: Taking a leap of faith and seeing what will happen. If he is injured, he imagines himself transformed in a less than childlike state; one where others, including his father, will take care of him and his painful maturation will be postponed.

“As far back as college, though, Krock’s face was lined with hatred.”

Krock is quickly established as a person who is different than the other men in the Falcons organization, specifically from Seth and Mr. Langan. By establishing that lines of hatred are ingrained in his face, we recognize that Krock does not simply or only dislike Troy but rather that the hatred is a part of his personality. This hatred then distorts Krock’s vision, making him unable to see Troy’s brilliance and driving the primary conflict of the plot.

“It’s not what I did. I’m just tired of football. Practice, practice, practice. It doesn’t matter how good you are, it doesn’t matter how much you know. You don’t get to play quarterback around here unless you got a dad to be the coach.” 

At this point in the novel, Troy comes face to face not only with his problems in the world of football but also with the deeper insecurity he feels with respect to the question of who his father is and Troy’s attempt to grow up without his father’s help. This point of the novel is often called “The Dark Night of the Soul,” where the protagonist feels the weight of the entire world upon him with no way out. For the protagonist to move through this phase, he must accept the death of his former identity and embrace a new one capable of overcoming these problems. Fittingly, Troy speaks these words to his grandfather who is immediately ready to step in as Troy’s supernatural aide.

“‘I thought I was, like, a football genius,’ he said, sighing. ‘Maybe the one good thing he gave me. The only good thing.’”

Troy utters this during the section of the novel where he is struggling with the darkest parts of his soul. The line recalls the novel’s title and reveals how Troy’s character will develop. We’ll learn as the novel progresses that he is a football genius, and we’ll see that his confidence will increase from this point where he sees his gift as “the only good thing,” about him.

“Sometimes grown-ups’ vision gets cloudy from the smog of the world. Sometimes a kid’s heart tells him to do something and he needs to listen, even if it means getting in trouble.”

Before this advice, Gramp has told Troy that Tessa snuck away to a Martin Luther King Day rally when she was young, also defying her parents. Troy is confused by the message that Grampa is trying to relay to because as Troy’s supernatural aide, Grampa speaks as if her were speaking for the universe itself, existing outside the restrictions of time, uttering a universal truth. This advice seems contradictory and muddled, but it is this very smoggy, cloudy sense that Grampa is trying to cut through, offering Troy an opportunity to break out and do something daring.

“Seth shrugged. ‘I’m no school psychologist, kid. All I know is, things happen. Unless you’re the one they’re happening to, you usually can’t understand it. Most people are good people. I believe that…’”

Seth steps into the role of Troy’s mentor once he sees Troy’s genius in full action. The help that Troy immediately needs has nothing to do with football, however. In order to move toward maturity, Troy needs to find a way not only to understand his relationship with his mother, but also understand why his father left.

“‘This is the favor,’ Seth said. ‘Making you tell the truth. It’s something pretty important that you need to know […] The truth is more important than the trouble it brings. The truth is everything.’ ‘If you and I are gonna do something,’ Seth said, ‘we gotta do it right. Just tell her the truth. I got your back.’”

Seth continues to guide Troy as his mentor. Throughout the first part of the novel, Troy has struggled with choosing to tell the truth to his mother and others. So far, this habit has only made Troy’s journey more difficult. Troy must now learn to trust and work with Seth. In order to do so, Troy must follow the rules that Seth sets out for their relationship. As Troy overcomes his tendency to lie and deceive in the following chapters, the behavior marks a transformation in Troy. This closes the subplot regarding Troy’s childlike tendencies as he moves beyond his childlike conflict with both his mother and Jamie Renfro.

“‘I’d like the team to win,’ his mom said, ‘don’t get me wrong. But winning or losing doesn’t make or break me. Losing this job does. If this falls through, my old job is already gone. I’ve got bills. A mortgage. Credit cards.’”

This argument by Tessa highlights a conflict that is fundamental not only to Tessa’s identity but also to how she sees the game of football in her life. To Troy and Seth, the game itself is the channel through which they can succeed and express themselves. To Tessa the institution of the Falcons is the fundamental rock on which she needs to depend in order to combat the pressure of her mortgage and credit cards. Winning or losing is secondary to the existence of the organization. This quotation highlights the inequity that exists in the novel for the character of Tessa as she attempts to assert herself and her priorities in a male-dominated sport and overall narrative.

“‘You?’ she said, shooting her eyes at him. ‘Lying. Sneaking around. Is this how I raised you? Gift from your father? Maybe that’s it. Not listening. The gift of putting yourself before everyone else.’”

These harsh words from Tessa highlight a deeper insecurity that both she and Troy possess. Neither she nor Troy know how he is going to turn out as he matures into a man. Both know that Troy’s father left the family and to Tessa, this move means Troy’s father could not own up to his responsibilities. Perhaps stressed by years of having no money and studying and working while raising a child now prevents her from being able to recognize the gift that Troy possesses. She can only see the negative traits he has inherited form his father.

“‘You know what I mean,’ Troy said. ‘No one can do anything to you.’ ‘You’d be amazed, kid. That’s how the NFL works. N-F-L, Not For Long. Especially when you get a little long in the tooth, like me.’”

This quotation is important structurally to the narrative to keep the plot moving forward at a good pace. This exchange is, in essence, a ticking clock. By reminding the audience that Seth’s career will not last much longer, the stakes are immediately raised in the story. This may be Seth’s only chance to save his career. In fact, merely hearing himself state this phrase causes Seth to jump on board with Troy’s plan to take him to go see Coach McFadden, regardless of the fear of upsetting Tessa by doing so.

“‘Bout four weeks left, little piggy,’ Krock said, turning to Troy, ‘before your momma’s in the welfare line. Four weeks, tops.’”

This threat underlines Krock’s insensitive and callous nature, allowing the audience to further sympathize with Troy’s quest to overcome his obstruction. Krock’s threat to the security of Tessa job also serves to create another ticking clock in the plot which further bonds Troy and Seth in pursuit of a common goal and drives the story forward.

“Nathan stared at the door to Troy’s bedroom with the face of a victim in a horror movie. His eyes were as big as Ping-Pong balls. His forehead glistened with sweat. The man he was controlling on the TV screen made a mad dash around the game going the wrong way on the football field because Nathan wasn’t paying attention.”

This passage is a strong example of how Nathan’s character breaks up the dramatic action of the story. Having just come from the confrontation with Coach Krock, a difficult conversation with Seth, and about to enter another dramatic confrontation scene between Troy and his mother, the author inserts comedic relief.

“As he lay there in the dark, though, the warmth of the evening with his mom began to fade. Happy thoughts were sacked by doubts. And, when he heard the lonely sound of the Midnight Express, he wondered if he’d ever get a chance to do something special, to be someone special. Or were the Coach Renfros and Coach Krocks of the world always going to be there to put him down, while men like his father and Seth Halloway walked away?”

At this point in the journey, all is lost. Troy seems to have failed in every aspect of his initial entry into the adult world. This causes a crisis of identity for him. The train symbolizes Troy’s struggle with the creation of his mature identity. 

“Troy felt his face get warm. He didn’t want to tell them he thought of his father, of being left alone. He didn’t want to describe the vision of an imaginary figure walking out and slamming the door and tell them that’s when he’d chuck the ball with all his might.”

This passage refers to Chapter 15 when Troy finally got his chance to play quarterback and throw a long pass to Rusty. Troy has decided that his technique to generate energy is by channeling his anger through his body in order to throw the ball further. The fact that this is the method through which Troy generates his energy highlights his need for a father figure in his life who can help him come up with a better methodology and rules for living. Overcoming his anger and resentment seems to hold Troy back more than it propels him forward. 

“‘I don’t mean to be,’ she said. ‘I just think real heroes are soldiers and firemen and police, or teachers. Oh, I sound horrible. I’m sorry.’”

Tessa allows herself to be vulnerable in front of Seth and tell him how she truly feels about him. Ironically, it is this very point of view that she thinks he will be offended by that draws him to her. As Seth’s father died in the line of duty, someone who sees frontline workers as heroes can only serve to bond the two. The audience is already aware that both characters are benevolent and kind. Tessa’s bravery to express her true feeling is ultimately rewarded, driving the emerging romantic subplot of the story.

“Seth shrugged. ‘I never knew any different, really, not till later on. I guess that’s why I know how Troy feels. You get to a certain age and it starts to hurt, not having that father there.’ Troy felt his face get hot. He started to squirm and he wished Nathan wasn’t listening.”

Unbeknownst to Seth, this conversation with Tessa cements his bond to Troy and creates a further level in which Troy needs Seth to succeed and Tessa to join in their plan. Troy no longer needs to lie awake at night wondering if the Coach Krocks or Coach Renfros will always prevail. Troy knows that Seth can empathize with him. This causes an emotional reaction in Troy that he seems unfamiliar with and unable to process immediately.

“‘I’m not underestimating myself, Dad,’ she said, lowering her voice to a whisper. ‘No one wants a woman with a twelve-year-old kid. They just don’t. I faced that a long time ago.’”

This emphasizes Tessa’s fundamental idea of how men see her and why she has difficulty accepting Seth in her life. Although Tessa is confident in her work life, she sees herself as unwanted romantically. This is difficult for Troy to hear as he then sees himself as a source of pain and loss for her and a burden on her.

“‘It’s okay,’ Troy said, finding his voice. ‘I know what I am. That’s why I want this so bad. I want to do something. I want to be something. I thought this was my chance.’ The little jar of seashells his mom kept on the coffee table began to rattle and shake. Down in back of the house, the train rushed by in a vortex of speed and blaring sound, dying slowly away as it rounded the bend by the Hooch.”

Ironically, it is Tessa’s utterance of thinking she is unwanted that initiates this conversation. It allows Troy to express that he, too, sees himself as less than desired as an abandoned child. Rather than drive the two apart however, the acceptance of each other’s pain and openness draws them together, uniting as allies for the big push into the final act of the story. As the train rattles by, Troy’s mature identity presents itself; a vulnerable yet strong young man, willing to face his demons and do whatever it takes to support his family.

“The three of them followed the owner out onto the field, and only Tate didn’t seem slightly embarrassed with the way everyone, everyone, even the players, moved out of their way. Mr. Langan said that it would be best if Tate and Nathan stayed back behind the bench with Bob McDonough. Nathan slapped Troy a high five and Tate pecked his cheek.”

Troy is now the master of two worlds, the child world, and the adult world. He stands with his new powerful ally Mr. Langan but also the friends who helped him achieve his goal. Tate possesses her habitual bravado. At this point however, Troy must leave the child world behind and step alone into the final test. If he is to find the freedom to live, he must do it alone. A final kiss from Tate emphasizes Troy’s new maturity.