Boys Don't Cry: Key Quotations (WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Literature): Revision Note

Boys Don't Cry: key quotations

When answering exam questions about Boys Don’t Cry, you will need to have a strong grasp of the key moments and themes of the text. To ensure your answers are as strong as possible, you should support these points with quotations from the novel.

By showing that you understand how different quotations from the text connect to its themes, you demonstrate an awareness of the deliberate choices made by the author. When using short quotations or key words, make sure they are clearly linked to the point you are making, so that your argument remains firmly supported by the text.

On this page, we will analyse key quotes linked by the key themes of the text:

• Family

• The weight of expectation

• Responsibility 

• Identity and judgement

Family

Meaning and context

• This is the last sentence in the book, and highlights how the family have changed and come together:

  • It is a simple ending, with no dramatic conclusion

• It presents Adam and Dante finally overcoming the stress of their lives and finding the love and support of family

Analysis

• Throughout the novel, the author shows that love and support can help us through our problems:

  • By showing the happy ending of the story as something simple yet wholesome, the writer reminds us of what really matters

• This ending also shows that the family have all found what they wanted, even if they didn’t always know that was the case:

  • Dante and Adam have grander plans, but the happiest and most secure they are at any point is this moment

  • Tyler didn’t want this when he was younger and Dante was born, but has learned this is what he wants the most

• This ending also suggests that the boys had grand plans of wider fame — a famous journalist and a famous actor — because family had yet to fill them with happiness:

  • When finally shown the simple joys of unconditional love and support, they suddenly realise how great this is

• It can also be read as a sign that Emma changes the family:

  • Having a child can add more love into a home and bring family together

Meaning and context

• Dante is flustered and overwhelmed in finding out he’s a father, and struggling with having to tell his dad:

  • He suggests putting Emma up for adoption or to be fostered, and this is Tyler’s reaction

• Tyler is furious and shocked, and shows that he is disappointed in his son:

  • He commits to Emma immediately being one of theirs because she is a biological family member

Analysis

• This is an insight into how Tyler viewed a similar decision when his wife became pregnant, unplanned in their early 20s, with Dante:

  • He is angry without really seeing his son’s side because he made a choice that he felt was right

  • He didn’t give up a child when it was inconvenient, and is disappointed his son would consider it

• Tyler’s reaction could also be explained by some bitterness:

  • Tyler does love his sons, but he views his individual goals as unfulfilled because he was thrown in the role of father before he could achieve them

• The ellipsis to pause before “inconvenient” shows his disbelief and disgust:

  • He has to take a moment to pick the right words, either too angry or too shocked to be able to find them quickly

• Blackman also wrote the book in the hopes of subverting the stereotype of fathers being more likely to leave their children:

  • Tyler took on the responsibility and expects his son to do the same

• Furthermore, this is also an example of how the support of a family helps to keep families together:

  • Melanie had no support and couldn’t cope

  • The belief at the time was that broken families create more broken families, and this shows how the support around Dante keeps a family together

Meaning and context

• After Veronica, Colette’s sister and a social worker, comes to visit unexpectedly, Dante is worried and calls his dad for support:

  • She has made him feel like there could be further visits with the idea of taking Emma away, and he is scared

• Tyler immediately offers to come home, unprompted

• The offer helps Dante to calm down:

  • He immediately feels like his concerns have been heard, and he has support

• It makes him consider what his father has gone through bringing up two sons alone

Analysis

• This shows how Tyler, even though he is seen as grumpy and reluctant by his sons, is a loving and devoted father who will do whatever he can to help his kids

• It is unclear whether this is new behaviour since Emma arrived:

  • Dante is surprised by it, which could be a sign of this being different behaviour from Tyler

  • There is also the possibility that Dante is surprised not because this is new, but because he is only now noticing the type of father that Tyler is

• This is also another reminder from the author about the devotion of fathers:

  • Contrary to many portrayals, most fathers are devoted and loving, and will do anything for their children

• It also quickly shows how love and support from Tyler make Dante feel better:

  • Eventually, it is moments like this that help Dante to show his own love for his father, and his brother, as he starts to see how words like this make him feel

The weight of expectation

Meaning and context

• Dante has overheard Aunt Jackie and Tyler discussing how Dante was unplanned and that they may have stayed together out of duty, not love

• Dante is hurt and confronts his dad, thinking this is why he never felt loved by him:

  • He sees Adam, who was planned, as accepted and wanted by his father

• Tyler tries to convince him that he was not a mistake nor a disappointment:

  • He explains that whilst it may not have been his plan, it ended up being the best thing that ever happened to him

Analysis

• Both Tyler and Dante had plans for ambitious futures that were ended when a child arrived

• It is also a rare moment where Tyler is unguarded with his emotions:

  • Dante argues with him at this time, feeling unloved, but it’s another example of him seeing that his dad does love him

• This moment is a reminder that what you expect and want can often be different to what happens and what you really need:

  • Neither man planned for a child at the time they got one, but both men love their child/children

  • This moment may foreshadow Dante’s realisation near the end that the most important things are his daughter and his family

  • Dante wanted to give Emma up early on, yet ends up scared she might be taken away one day by a returning Melanie

• Much of Dante’s fears about having Emma are based around his lost ambitions:

  • Once he lets go of these expectations of himself and his future, he is able to embrace what he has and enjoy it 

Meaning and context

• Dante is in shock watching Emma cry, feeling like crying himself:

  • He feels conditioned not to cry or show his emotions

Analysis

• We see here how expectations placed on him by his father have affected Dante:

  • He says that he wants to “join in,” but he cannot

  • This is an example of how the boys have been raised not to be open with their feelings and emotions

  • This is not deliberate by Tyler, who is using an old adage, but forms a pattern of keeping emotions inside

• Instead of a healthy expression of emotion, Dante expects himself to meet a standard set by others

• This is also a typical statement of a mistaken view of masculinity:

  • This statement comes from a view that to cry was to show weakness, and men should not show weakness

• Tyler has likely been raised with this and similar statements said to him:

  • It shows how the weight of expectation as a man is passed down from generation to generation

• These expectations of what it is to be a man hold people down:

  • It leads to physical strength and might being seen as “manly”, and men who do not conform to these expectations are thus “lesser”

  • For example, Josh’s behaviour, his self-hatred and shame, come from believing himself less of a man

Meaning and context

• When Tyler finds out about Emma, he is angry, disappointed and frustrated:

  • He is open about this, chastising Dante for his mistake

• He expresses how this is a mistake so grave that it lets more than just Dante himself down, but his father, too:

  • He is suggesting that he believed in Dante, and an error like this makes him look foolish for believing in him

Analysis

• Dante has to deal with the expectations that his father has on him, let alone his own expectations:

  • This suggests a pressure on him from above, which can make it harder for a young person to find their way

  • Dante may feel that he has to achieve certain things because his value to others is linked to his intelligence and success

• Tyler shows no concern for his son’s situation here:

  • This shows us that he might not be good at the emotional side of fatherhood

• Equally, much of Tyler’s reaction here comes from his past and how he failed his own expectations:

  • Whilst he loves his sons, he did not plan to be a young dad

  • This quote suggests he might still have lingering bitterness over that

• He also thought his son was going to turn out to be better than him, so he is disappointed to see him limited in this way:

  • This is both a desire to see the best for his son, and frustration that he is seeing the same mistake repeated

• The disappointment Dante feels comes from an idea of what life should be and what having a baby at a young age means:

  • Society judges those who have kids at such a young age, so he already feels like he is a failure because of these standards

Responsibility

Meaning and context

• After showing initial disappointment in Dante, Jackie quickly shows concern, knowing the pressure he is under:

  • They have quite a deep conversation as Dante asks why Jackie never had kids, only to find she had four miscarriages

• This isn’t directly said about Dante and his situation, but instead about how her partner left her after the failed pregnancies because he wanted to be a dad

• However, it also works to be about Dante in this situation, which is implied by how they look at each other after this and “understood each other perfectly”

Analysis

• It is clear that the suggestion is that Dante now has a responsibility to Emma:

  • It is not directly said, but the look they hold after it, saying they understood each other, shows that this also means a father can’t walk away from his daughter

• It is also a reminder about personal responsibility:

  • Uncle Peter did not have to take responsibility for their issues conceiving because it was not his individual physical problem

• There is also the personal responsibility to do what is best for your life, to an extent:

  • Jackie seems to understand that if Peter really wanted children, there was no point in him denying himself that chance just because he felt a duty to Jackie

  • She understands that he had to do what was right for him

• Being a parent is an incredible responsibility, and one part of that is that you can’t, or at least shouldn’t, walk away on a whim or because it’s inconvenient

Meaning and context

• A woman harasses Dante at the paper shop when she finds out he’s Emma’s father:

  • Originally, she is eager to talk to him as she clearly likes a cute baby, but changes her tone when she finds out Emma is his daughter

• She immediately assumes he is not working and on benefits

• Another woman then interjects to give Dante some support:

  • Her comment shows how people see men as less likely to be single parents

Analysis

• This is another point in the text where we see the idea that men who stay with their kids should be celebrated:

• Whilst the woman is being supportive of Dante, it is a moment that shows some of the motivations for writing the story:

  • Blackman is able to subvert the idea that men are not supportive or committed fathers by showing how Dante is celebrated here as a man who stays with his child when it's tough, compared to, apparently, “a lot of men” who don’t

• It shows that people believe what Dante is doing is responsible, fulfilling his duties as a father, even though it is very tough for a teenager to raise a child:

  • He gets support because the onlookers are happy to see someone stepping up and taking on the responsibility when, in their perception, it would have been easy for him to “do a runner”

  • The woman then puts an arm around her son, maybe suggesting that his father hadn’t stayed like Dante has

• Equally, it also shows that other people think having a child at Dante’s age is irresponsible

Meaning and context

• After finding out that Emma is, in fact, Melanie’s child, Dante is incredulous at the thought of this:

  • As an intelligent young man, he thinks that nothing like this could happen to him, as this is the behaviour of someone thoughtless

• Dante’s completely lack of awareness is on display:

  • He doesn’t even consider that his ex-girlfriend, who he slept with, could have had his child

Analysis

• A quote like this shows why Dante is such a reluctant father to begin with:

  • He thinks himself too smart to have something like this happen to him, and thinks Melanie stupid for allowing it

  • He cannot comprehend that Emma is his child because he thinks situations like this are for less intelligent people, and he thinks himself smarter than this

• His inability to take responsibility is also clear:

  • He buried the memory because it was a drunken, fleeting encounter

  • His selfish thought processes mean he doesn’t consider the repercussions, because the repercussions are not the same for men

• His next sentence reinforces this, saying. “Hadn’t she ever heard of the pill?”:

  • Again, this is immediately a male perspective, showing that he believes it is her responsibility to have protected from this outcome

  • This is an attitude that can be common in young men, and something this book is trying to dispel

• It can also show how some men think about sex:

  • They don’t think of the consequences, of which women are much more aware 

• It is also a sign of what Dante thinks of young parents:

  • He immediately thinks Melanie is stupid to make such a mistake

Identity and judgement

Meaning and context

• Adam is on his own, lamenting his relationship with Josh:

  • He is upset that the homophobia Josh feels, even as a gay man who is yet to come out, is causing him to be ashamed of Adam, of himself, and of their relationship

• Josh’s self-hatred and shame have made their relationship very difficult:

  • They are great together, when alone, but cannot stand to be seen together in public as he tries to keep his sexuality hidden

Analysis

• Adam is confident in his sexuality and identity, but Josh is the opposite:

  • Josh is completely ashamed and wants to keep it hidden

• Josh is struggling to balance what he wants and how he feels:

  • He is happy being who he really wants to be when it’s just the two of them

  • But he cannot handle the idea of people knowing he’s gay

• The prejudices of others mean he is scared of being seen as lesser for being gay:

  • He still wants to be seen a certain way by his friends and family, and that includes masculinity and typical male banter

  • Unfortunately, many don’t see homosexuality as aligning with traditional views of masculinity, so Josh fears he will be abandoned by those close to him

• Josh’s struggle to fit in, to be himself in all ways, both as a young gay man and a teenager with male friends, means he is completely torn:

  • He hates himself for being gay, but also hates himself for not being able to be who he clearly knows he wants to be

  • Torn between two things, with very little support, he is incredibly stressed

  • He takes out his anger on Adam, with Adam feeling the shame directed at him, as well as Josh aiming it at himself

• It is this turmoil that ends up catapulting him into a disgusting assault on Adam:

  • He takes out his anger on him, blaming him in part, but also beating out his own emotion and his hatred of himself:

  • Adam becomes the target, the one to blame, especially as the kiss threatens to expose the secret

• Josh is a victim of societal homophobia, fearing the judgement he will get if outed

• He is also an example of what happens when a person no longer understands their identity and feels lost:

  • He is forced to perform, and hiding a side of himself makes him shameful and builds up a hatred of himself

Meaning and context

• This woman believes Dante must be claiming benefits because he has a child at his age:

  • She is disgusted by this, thinking him a lazy person who just wants to take money from the state and take no responsibility

• As a young father, he is unlikely to be able to work, so the assumption is he will be getting government support:

  • This woman looks down on those who need and take that support

Analysis

• The class system in the UK has long caused social divides:

  • There has been tension between the different classes, mostly due to financial status, for a long time in Britain

  • For many, there is a stigma associated with being working class

• There is a view from some people that taking financial support through different government benefits systems is negative, and suggests something about your character:

  • She is suggesting that Dante would rather take the so-called easy route of claiming benefits than taking responsibility for his own life and circumstances

• It is also a false belief that this would cost her money:

  • People often equate the idea of collecting benefits as being their tax money

  • It is a way to justify her rudeness and poor manners, as she can claim to be a victim of this, having to pay more taxes to support others

• The judgement here is also her feeling she is better than Dante:

  • He is young and irresponsible, and taking from her, a working person who is doing things right, in her opinion

  • It is an example of how society looks down on young parents

Meaning and context

• This is the first time that the fact Dante and his family are black is actually mentioned in the book

• Dante is in the hospital with Adam after the attack:

  • Now he sees the many red flags in Josh’s behaviour in the past, and how he has ignored it for so long

• He realises that Josh and Logan have likely been racist behind his back:

  • He sees how everyone else has been a target with their words, and he has always ignored it because the targets didn’t affect him

  • But if they can say abusive things about other people, then they can say and feel those things about black people:

Analysis

• Dante realises that he has allowed too much from the likes of Josh::

  • It is easier to stay quiet and make excuses, which he realises he has done

• He sees that allowing this has been a sign of his own cowardice:

  • He was too scared to have it turned on him, so he convinced himself they were just words

• It’s at this moment that Dante seems to realise that he cannot expect others to speak up for him if he isn’t going to do the same for them:

  • He sees that not challenging them has allowed the views to seem acceptable

• It is also interesting that this is the first time the author mentions the colour of Dante’s skin:

  • The cover of later books shows Dante and Emma, but original covers gave no indication about race

• There are many reasons Malorie Blackman could have chosen to do this:

  • The first is that, of course, it should not matter

  • Nothing about being black means he should or shouldn’t do things as a father, or that his outcomes would change

  • The author may have done this to ensure no racial prejudices are applied to the story

• As the book is written from the perspective of either Adam or Dante, not mentioning race might show the importance of that perspective on the story:

  • If Josh and Logan are hiding their racist views, seeing things from Dante and Adam’s perspectives means the reader would also not see it

Sources

Blackman, M. (2010). Boys Don’t Cry. Random House.

Ayph. (2025, May 8). The Teenage Pregnancy Strategy 25 years on. Ayph. https://ayph.org.uk/the-teenage-pregnancy-strategy-25-years-on/ (opens in a new tab)