Namond Brice

Namond Brice stands out in The Wire due to the many roles he has within his community. These roles are ever changing as he strives to define himself while maintaining his relationships with his family and peers. The juggling act of Namond’s roles with each relationship illustrates the complexity of his character.  

Namond’s family life is as equally complex as his character. His parents encourage him to leave the classroom in favor of the illicit world, and his mother mentions that Namond skipped “work” to play. They are hoping he rises in the drug economy as this would be a reflection of them within their community. They see Namond’s long hair as a potential obstacle of their goal. Namond takes on the role of the individual as he defies his parent’s wishes and continues to sport his hair, jersey and flashy earrings. With so many other forces at work, Namond clings to his appearance as something he can control.

Namond has a leadership role for the younger kids and he makes money while working for the older kids. In a scuffle with other kids, he runs off instead of helping his friends. Later, he buys ice cream for them and said he got away. One may argue that this is a cowardly act. He may think, "I’m making money so I don’t have be in the streets but I’ll pay my soldiers do it for me." He may give into the role pressured by his family and glorified by his peers to fill the shoes of his boss. Alternatively, it could be perceived that his immaturity and instinct to survive overpowered him in the moment. His motivation to buy his friends ice cream in the aftermath could have been out of compassion and even guilt.

    Namond’s roles and relationships are interconnected and play a huge part in who Namond is. At the end of the day, he is like any other teenager. He is growing up in a world where he has to decide who’s expectations he wants to meet while defining who he is going to be.