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Rob Gregg
Theology III
Mr. McGarry
8/24/16
Summer Assignment
The book There Are No Children Here by Alex Kotlowitz is a story about the lives of
two black youth growing up in the inner city of Chicago. It details their dreams, hopes,
experiences, downfalls, accomplishments, and aspirations. One of the three main subjects that
the book There Are No Children Here explores is domestic violence. Domestic violence is
violence that is committed by a family member against another member of the family. In There
Are No Children Here author Alex Kotlowitz explores the main protagonists; Lafayette and
Pharaohs experiences with, reactions to, and outcomes from the toll of domestic violence.
One of the very first instances of Domestic violence in the book is when Lafayette beats
up Pharaoh for saying that he lied about taking him to the train tracks. When Pharaoh begged
Lafayette to take him back to the tracks, Lafayette agreed to take him. But in the approaching
days when they were about to go to the tracks Lafayette hears a story about a man who was run
over by a train while looking for snakes. Lafayette at this point in his life has seen enough
violence to turn him from a kid to a hardened, serious, caretaker for himself and the rest of his
family. His main goal at this point in his life is to protect his younger brother Pharaoh at all costs.
When Pharaoh finds out that his brother was going back on the promise he made to him,

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he was extremely hurt and began to lash out at Lafayette. He began to call Lafayette a liar, and
Lafayette snapped. With all the stress of the past year and past few days, Lafayette was
extremely tense and stressed out, and when Pharaoh called him a liar it made him angry beyond
reason. He was trying to look out for Pharaohs wellbeing but Pharaoh couldnt recognize this. At
that point Lafayette began to pummel his brother. Though he didnt seriously hurt Pharaoh it was
the beginning of a couple instances in the book in which domestic violence hurt the family.
The next instance of Domestic Violence in There Are No Children Here again involves
older brother Lafayette and his younger brother Pharaoh. Pharaoh is a diminutive child with a
stutter that was brought on by all the violence he saw at a young age. Though he excelled in
school, he was bullied and teased relentlessly for his stature and stammer. But in 1986 that
changed when he made friends with a boy named Rickey. Rickey was the complete opposite of
Pharaoh, a hard headed big kid who didnt care much for school. But Rickey admired Pharaoh
and soon became his personal protector. One time when a kid stole a basketball from Pharaoh in
gym class Rickey pummeled the kid for it. Pharaoh eventually began to feel more comfortable at
school because of his teacher and Rickey. While Pharaoh saw Rickey as the best thing ever,
Lafayette didnt. Lafayette didnt want Pharaoh to depend entirely on Rickey and himself. He
especially didnt want him to depend on Rickey because Rickey was always in the thick of
violence and Lafayettes chief concern throughout the whole story is Pharaohs safety. So to
deter Pharaohs dependence on Rickey and himself Lafayette made Pharaoh fight against him.
Though he viewed this as something that was good for Pharaoh, Pharaoh was very hurt by this
and did not see a point in it.

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As a Christian and a Catholic, I view as a plague on humanity. It is a serious problem that
affects the physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing of all involved. It is so grotesque in my
opinion because it is the exact opposite message that Jesus preaches. In the story I think
Lafayette is wrong and confused in his beatings of Pharaoh. What he sees as something that
should toughen Pharaoh up or teach him a lesson is in reality just hurting him. It would be much
more productive to teach him to do things such as turn the other cheek, which is the message that
Jesus preached. In my personal life I have never had an experience with domestic abuse, but I
have seen the damage it can do within my own area where I live. I have seen and heard some of
the stories of women and children who live in a shelter for victims of abuse that my sister
volunteers at. Just the sheer number of people living in these types of shelters show that domestic
abuse is an epidemic in Chicago and the United States in general. These people are living
examples of the damage that domestic abuse can do to a family.
In conclusion the book There Are No Children Here by Alex Kotlowitz is a story about
two young boys and their family facing the difficulties of living an inner city warzone with in
Chicago. The book reflects on the theme of domestic violence and the strain it puts on the Rivers
Family, especially the two sons. Lafayette administers tough love which in his eyes is making his
younger brother Pharaoh tougher when in reality it makes the two grow more apart. The
domestic violence within the story details the rippling effects of domestic violence and what it
can do to families. As a Catholic and Christian I am upset very much by this and have seen the
effects of it right in the City of Chicago, and as a Christian it is my job to help try and combat
domestic violence and support those who fall victim to it.