In the film Boyz N The Hood, John Singleton depicts the life of four boys growing up in South Central Los Angeles. In the beginning of the movie the four boys; Tre, Ricky Doughboy and Chris go out on a walk to see a dead body. Ricky brings the football his father had given to him despite Doughboy warning him not to. I believe this scene is very important because it is where we first get to see how to the boys act. Tre is shown at a young age being responsible and caring by telling the gang of older boys “Man, don’t you know this is a dead body.” Ricky is shown to be timid and shows weakness towards the gang members. This foreshadows his ultimate murder. Doughboy is portrayed as the tough one despite his limitations. Him confronting the much older and stronger gang members shows that he is unafraid and could become the most troubled. While the fourth boy Chris does as he is told clearly showing he well be a follower in his older life. This scene is used purely as a catalyst to showcase what type of kids they will turn out to become
Adolescence in 1990s Films 
April 23rd, 2014 at 5:11 pm
I noticed this too with the foreshadowing of the boys futures. Though at a young age, the moral character and views of the boys are set up. Tre is the responsible one by showing respect for the dead body. Ricky is naive to the intentions of the older boys who ultimately take his ball, little does he know his naivety will end in his death. Doughboy sticks to his guns and confronts the older boy, not caring what his outcome will be. And Chris tries to stay out of the way which turns into him becoming a follower. This was a good scene to analyze and I feel it is overlooked by audiences.
April 28th, 2014 at 8:49 pm
I hadn’t noticed this until reading this post but after reading this really screams out to me. It really speaks to the saying that people never change. While their characteristics are much more evident as they are older, the groundwork is laid in this scene. You have Doughboy being the leader and saying just how it is, as well Tre being the well mannered one even though this trait has a lot to do with Furious always being on him as he grew up.While the kids ultimately decide what type of person they are to become, it is normally visible who they are by the time they are little.