39 pages • 1 hour read
Sharon M. DraperTears of a Tiger
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1994A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 11-20Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 11 Summary: “Hoops and Dunks”
The Hazelwood basketball team prepares to play their first home game since Robbie’s death. Andy is running late because he chose to take the bus instead of driving. Once he arrives, the team heads to the court. The team spends most of the game behind but makes a comeback in the last few minutes to win the game by one point. Andy stays behind after everyone has left; he is struggling with his new role as captain and the fact that his parents don’t come to games. Robbie’s parents were in the stands despite their loss.
Chapter 12 Summary: “How Do I Feel?”
Andy attends his first therapy session with Dr. Carrothers. His parents are worried about how he is coping after the accident, but Andy thinks that he is coping well. Dr. Carrothers guides Andy through a series of discussion topics, including basketball and his family, which reveals that Andy struggles more than he is willing to acknowledge.
Chapter 13 Summary: “Girl Problems?”
After school, Andy wants to hang out with Keisha, but she acts responsibly and plans to study for her chemistry test instead. Andy acts out in anger at her refusal, though the emotion passes quickly.
Chapter 14 Summary: “School Blues”
In between classes, Andy and Tyrone talk about their classes and upcoming tests, for which they are not prepared. Andy also forgot that their English teacher is giving out midterm notices, and he knows that his parents will be upset because his grades are slipping.
Chapter 15 Summary: “Ferocious Frustration”
Andy attends his second therapy session, where Dr. Carrothers discusses Andy’s school life. They also examine how teachers treat him and his friends differently because of their race. Andy struggles under the weight of his parents’ expectations, for they want him to do better than his peers. His teachers, on the other hand, expect him to fail and act like it is a fluke when he passes, and his peers want him to act in ways that don’t align with his personal goals.
Chapter 16 Summary: “Female Frustration”
Keisha writes in her diary about a holiday outing to the mall with Andy. Their goal is to shop for Christmas gifts. Andy dissociates when he sees Santa, because he connects Santa with Robbie. Keisha calls her mom to drive them both home. She’s worried about Andy and his mood swings.
Chapter 17 Summary: “How Am I Supposed to Write Poetry?”
Andy writes a poem expressing that he feels lost in the darkness, but when it comes time to turn the assignment in, he chooses not to. When the teacher confronts him, she offers him the opportunity to start fresh after the holidays. Other students write poems about love, uncertainty, and seeing the darkness in their friends.
Chapter 18 Summary: “Christmas Without Rob”
Andy attends his third session with the psychologist, where he talks about the Christmas holidays and how he felt peace that he hasn’t felt since Robbie’s death, but how Robbie’s mother called and messed it up. The psychologist asks about his relationship with Keisha. Andy admits that Keisha keeps him grounded and that she is the only person he feels safe being vulnerable with.
Chapter 19 Summary: “Good Morning, Hazelwood”
A secretary reads the morning announcements over the school intercom after the holiday break. Announcements include the winner of the food drive, the arrival of SAT scores, and upcoming sporting events.
Chapter 20 Summary: “Black on White”
Ms. Blackwell, the English teacher, reads a poem that sparks discussion about the contrasting colors of black and white and the ways in which society uses these colors to express ideas, emotions, and morality. She says that people can change stereotypes and wishes her students a good day. After class, Andy asks Keisha if she thinks that Robbie is cold in the cemetery; Keisha is frustrated that Andy keeps focusing on Robbie, who is gone.
Chapters 11-20 Analysis
As Draper continues to vary her narration strategically between detached, informal methods and more in-depth, personal accounts, she also continues to explore The Impact of Grief and Guilt as Andy’s growing mental anguish becomes more difficult to hide and begins to create an isolating gulf between him and his friends. Even his friends’ healthier reactions to Robbie’s death separate him from his community, for as Tyrone and Rhonda come together and bond, choosing to embrace the present, Andy and Keisha’s relationship falls apart when Andy cannot let go of the trauma that the event has caused in his psyche. Robbie’s death causes a rift between them, for Andy becomes lost in his grief while Keisha wants to move forward. Neither teen knows how to work with the other, and instead of supporting one another, they become incapable of communicating their respective needs in a healthy way. Andy brings this to a head when he asks if Keisha thinks Robbie is cold in the cemetery. Keisha snaps and says, “Andy, stop it! You’re driving me crazy. Robbie can’t feel anything, Andy. Robbie is warm and at peace” (88). Keisha, who wants to move forward, cannot understand Andy’s fascination with the past; likewise, Andy—stuck in the past—cannot understand how or why Keisha moves forward so easily. Through this scene, Draper shows how grief and guilt can make someone feel alone, even when they are with loved ones.
Accordingly, Draper stresses the multifaceted nature of Andy’s growing isolation from those around him by introducing parallel struggles in connection with his grief, such as The Harm of Societal Racism. Even in the midst of his ongoing emotional crisis, Andy must find the strength to navigate the ingrained racism that surrounds him, even in the very fabric of the school system. As his teachers continue to cast unfair judgments upon him based on preconceived and racist notions, he feels powerless to exceed their expectations, which in turn makes him feel trapped. In Chapter 20, Draper continues to explore the issue of racism through the English teacher’s examination of the abstract concepts that society ascribes to the colors of black and white. When the students challenge the idea that white is “good” and black is “bad” by asking for examples in which the opposite is true, the teacher awkwardly attempts to deflect the conversation rather than addressing the underlying issue head-on, and this reticence reflects how school authorities, and society in general, avoid discussing the systemic villainization of Black individuals in literature and other social spheres.
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By Sharon M. Draper
