Summary: Part 2: The Middle Passage

“Upper Marlboro” brings the narrative to Prince George’s County jail, called Upper Marlboro. This facility was for short-term stays; Chris Wilson was awaiting trial. In some ways, things there were better than outside. He had food to eat and could sleep without worrying about stray bullets coming through the window. But every night, he revisited the fateful night in his mind. His mom got him a lawyer, but Wilson felt antagonistic toward him and didn’t cooperate with his defense. He was trying to be cool, even though inside, he was depressed. Then his father died. Finally, the day of his trial arrived. The trial ended in a guilty verdict, and his sentencing ended in a life sentence. He was taken from the sentencing hearing straight to solitary confinement. There, overwhelmed by the realization that his life was over, he sat down on his bunk and cried.

“Solitary” describes the month Wilson spent in solitary confinement after his sentencing. There was no human contact and only one hour of exercise each day in a small, walled courtyard. It was too quiet, and he missed hearing sounds, which reminded him he was “part of the world.” There was no chance for parole due to political decisions made by the governor of Maryland. So he didn’t think about the future; he thought about the past. And he had a recurring dream of an old man in a prison cell. When the old man turned around, Wilson realized it was himself. Near the end of the month, he was allowed to visit his dying grandfather in the hospital. He promised to get an education. When his grandfather died shortly after the visit, Wilson felt very little emotion.

In “Patuxent,” Wilson is transferred to Patuxent, a maximum-security prison. He’d been assigned to the youth program there—a rehabilitation-focused program that was the only such program in the state. He was strip-searched and given clothing and bedding, then taken to his cell. It was hot, smelly, and loud. A little while later, he was allowed to go to the day room, where inmates got haircuts, watched TV, and socialized. The most popular TV show was the news, which inmates watched to find out what was going on back in their neighborhoods. Wilson began to realize, though, that the chance of getting out, even from a youth rehabilitation program, was unlikely.

In “Bammas,” Wilson begins with a description of how the prison was run. Gangs were in charge, but as long as you didn’t make trouble with them, they didn’t bother you. Corrections officers (COs), on the other hand, could upend your whole day with various harassments if they were in a bad mood. Bammas were inmates who were loud and craved attention and were always ready to make trouble. The bammas on Wilson’s tier were named Skeeter and Omar, and their behavior—robbing other inmates, roughing other inmates up for fun—was a constant hazard. Omar was friends with a few of the COs, who smuggled drugs for him. One of these COs was a heroin addict and would leave Omar in charge while he got high. Just a few weeks after he arrived, Wilson witnessed something terrible: An inmate got word that his mother had been shot and killed in retaliation for the murder he’d committed. He lost his mind and attacked the COs, who beat him unconscious. As he was being dragged away, Wilson thought, “At least he’s getting out of here.”

“What’s the Point?” opens as another inmate, Greg, describes his plan to help his brother, who was in a Haitian jail for murder. Greg was going to smuggle marijuana into the prison, sell it, and earn enough money to “buy” his brother’s safety—that is, pay off the victim’s family so they didn’t try to kill him. Greg offered to let Wilson in on the profits from his drug smuggling, but Wilson wasn’t interested. Another young inmate—who was also serving a life sentence—was always reading. Wilson couldn’t understand why. He’d stopped taking care of his appearance. He called his mom every day. Sometimes she’d pick up, and a few of these times, the conversation was positive. One time Wilson’s older brother Derrick picked up and taunted Wilson by saying he was taking his clothes and his girlfriend.

Wilson’s mom and sister visited Wilson in prison once. Leslie was in the Air Force, and Mona was living in Wilson’s dad’s old house, which he’d left to his children. Later, Leslie sent him a care package with some clothes, a radio, and some CDs. The package also contained a GED study guide, which Wilson’s dad had bought for him before he died.

Wilson got in the habit of calling his mom twice a day. She usually didn’t pick up the phone. One time, though, she did pick it up. But she didn’t say anything. Wilson asked her why she wasn’t saying anything, and she answered simply, “You got life. What’s the point? You’re never coming home.”

In “Decisions,” Wilson recounts a conversation with his sister a few weeks after the call with his mom—which was the last one his mom ever picked up. Leslie had told him it was too expensive for him to keep calling them. She was getting married and needed to focus on her own life. She told him that, now that he was 18, he wasn’t their family’s responsibility anymore. He realized she was right. He broke up with his girlfriend, telling her to move on with her life.

He had nothing left but his journal, some clothes, some CDs, and his name. He needed to decide if his name had any meaning left.

Analysis: Part 2: The Middle Passage

In this section of the narrative, Chris Wilson describes his first experiences being locked up after his arrest. He doesn’t only lose his freedom, this section makes clear, but he also loses his family. His grandfather dies, and his mother and sister mostly cut him out of their lives. These losses are devastating, and by the end of the section, Wilson begins to realize he’s basically lost everything that ever held meaning for him. Readers can sense that a turning point has been reached as he says he needs to decide if his name means anything.

This section is titled “The Middle Passage,” a term that refers to the transatlantic transfer of enslaved Africans to the Americas. This journey displaced enslaved people from their communities and families. In addition, because the enslaved captives were not referred to by their names nor were their names retained in any records, it also erased their ties to these communities and families. Wilson uses this allusion to comment on his own situation. His freedom is taken away, and he is severed from his family and community. Significantly, he is on the verge of losing his name as well, as the COs often call the prisoners “inmate” to emphasize the dehumanizing nature of being incarcerated. This idea of losing one’s name in the Middle Passage resonates strongly when the section ends with Wilson’s realization that all he really has left is his name, and he needs to consider if it holds any meaning.