The Violin Conspiracy

One of Ray’s strongest core values that keeps him afloat throughout the events of the novel is respect for others and for oneself. This is something that he learns from his grandmother at a young age and that helps him make sense of a world in which he is constantly disrespected because of his race. When Ray tells her of his experience at his wedding performance, his grandmother doesn’t try to shield him from the truth: “It’s an ugly part of life but that’s how things are. Probably how they will always be” (63). She teaches him that the way to overcome these obstacles isn’t to ignore or deny them, but to rise above them by embracing respect as a fundamental tenet of life. Ray first puts this idea into practice shortly after when he goes to have his violin repaired for the first time and is treated with disdain: “A familiar feeling washed over Ray. He remembered what Grandma Nora said about respect” (81). Even though he can’t change the man who’s looking down on him, he emerges from the experience knowing that he honored himself and his grandmother through his actions. Slocumb hence presents the mantra of respect as a family heirloom that aids Ray like the violin.