Week 3, #4

What is the significance of the car salesman? Predict what is going to happen at the end of the novel.

In Los Flores Apartments, one tennent named Pinkston, likes to sell used cars. In the book, Sonny calls him Pink for short because of his pink colored scar on his albino skin. Dialogue between Pink and Sonny are steadily becoming more frequent as the story goes on. Pink has even started to take Sonny underneath his wing. The character Cloyd and the mother, Silvia, both feel as if Pink is a really suspicious person. The significance of Pink is really starting to grow in the storyline, especially after making a deal with Sonny for the car. "This one's yours, you want it little brother,"(118). One aspect of this deal that is very interesting is that Sonny doesn't have to pay him for the car. All that Sonny is required to do is be friends with Pink and tell him information when he hears it. "Young brother, what we say to each other is between us. You see what im saying?" (119). Basically by cutting that deal with Sonny, the audience now knows that something is really up with Pink, either that or he is just paranoid. Because Cloyd doesn't like him so much, an altercation between him and Pink will probably happen. Because Pink brings black people around the apartments so much, Cloyd and Bud are just going to get fed up with it and jump him. It is going to be at that point where Sonny is going to have to choose sides between the blacks and whites. Unfortunately, Sonny does not like either race so the decision will be difficult. He will probably choose to roll with the blacks because he can keep the car and because he took Cloyds money. Pink and Sonny will end up being best of friends for about eight pages then Sonny will begin to realize what Pink's real plans are. Pink will be planning to move a lot of black people into the neighborhood to take it over. Once he realizes this, Sonny will then jump ship again back to Cloyds side and begin telling him everything. He does this because he thinks of his mom and also really doesn't want to live in a black neighborhood. Cloyd will then begin to combat the situation with the help of Sonny's intelligence of Pink. The only thing is that the situation got too out of hand when Sonny was out riding with Pink. Too many blacks had moved in while Sonny was helping out Pink. Cloyd and Bud do what they can but can only clear out a little more then half. This leaves the neighborhood including Los Flores Apartments completely diversified. Sonny comes to the realization that is was better in the end to have mixed up the people around him so that everyone can live in harmony together. But then reality sets in. Because they are in Los Angeles, fighting erupts throughout the neighborhood in a mini race war. Sonny and Pink are blamed by everyone for starting this mess. Sonny and his mother are kicked out and he never gets to see Nica again.