Ghost Boys

On November 1, All Saints’ Day in many Protestant faiths and the Day of the Dead (All Souls’ Day) in the Catholic Church, the Rodríquez and Rogers families come together to remember their loved ones who have died, especially Jerome. Carlos introduces the Rogers family to his family’s traditions, such as creating skull pictures of loved ones and placing candy skulls and food on the graves of dead loved ones. They agree that this joint celebration will become an annual event.

The celebration draws Emmett and the other ghost boys to Jerome’s grave. Emmett tells Jerome that this celebration shows his story and death will not be forgotten. As a throng of ghost boys gather, Jerome realizes that each ghost boy has a living person or persons whom he haunts because only the living can make changes that will prevent more deaths. Emmett haunted Thurgood Marshall, the civil rights lawyer (later turned Supreme Court justice) who played a central role in many advances in civil rights during his life. Jerome’s person was Sarah. Emmett believes the ghost boys will continue to wander around until the killings stop and there is “[o]nly friendship. Kindness. Understanding” (191).