Human and Environment Influence in Cell One

I personally thought this was the best short story out of all of them. They all offered interesting themes and developed characters however, this story stuck out to me. From its family ties to the individualism of the brother, it was very striking through its plot. In addition, there are several different emotions and this leads to how each character wants to act in a certain situation.

Nnanambia is initially impacted by the older people at his school who steal. He then goes to to steal his mother's jewelry.  The parents often feel worried for their son, but they also give him the benefit of the doubt when he steals things. The father thinks they should've punished him from the beginning but they don't really do anything to him. Throughout the story, the sister is for the most part close to her brother.  However, things take a turn when he is thrown in jail a few years later with some other guys. This is when the family begins to worry for their son and wish they would've acted earlier.

They not only fear their son not getting better by stopping his stealing habits, but they also fear his life in jail.  The people are treated horribly in there and some people can be transferred to Cell One which is nothing but danger.  The family visits him just about everyday.

The part of this story that was really interesting was Nnanambia's reaction to the innocent old man in jail. This old man was tortured for something his son did but his son is nowhere to be found, so they throw him in jail. Nnanambia is devastated by what he has to witness happen to the old man.  It's surprising to me how he doesn't feel guilt when he steals or commits crime but he is really hurt by the man getting abused.

The environment of school changed him to act like a thief and the human influences from the old man caused him to feel bad.  This paradox is very symbolic to the story as a whole.  The family is the same way. They go from feeling very close to their son to almost as if they don't know him anymore. Lastly, the end scene is very striking. The son gets out of Cell One and is speechless. The sister and her parents are always prepared for Nnanambia to make an excuse or tell them a story.  Except he was silent. Was he scarred from the old man? Did he feel bad that his family had to go through this? Does he regret stealing in the first place? Is he the same person with the same habits but doesn't want to talk?   As the reader, this left me thinking