Fatherhood In Boyz N The Hood

Set in South Central Los Angeles, Boyz N The Hood (John Singleton, 1991) portrays the struggles, fears, and choices of three young friends growing up in the midst of the Crenshaw neighborhood known as ‘the hood.’ Through a seven–year time gap from 1984 to 1991, the film suggests and addresses two prominent social problems associated with Crenshaw’s environment – fatherless children and gang culture. Ultimately, Boyz N The Hood is about the utter significance and salvation of fatherhood among the lives of young, vulnerable, and violence susceptible children of Crenshaw and how the presence of a true father figure can influence their decision to either succumb to the cycle of violence, alcohol and crime or to strive for something greater than their roots.

Upon the immediate arrival of his son, Furious instructs Tre to rake all of the leaves from the front yard and later that night reminds him of the house rules which consist of more chores. Tre questions his father’s methods, but Furious emphasizes how Tre will learn responsibility through chores: something his friends will never acquire in the absence of a father. While father/son bonding, Furious begins to instill lifelong lessons in his son: he makes Tre recite the rules of being a leader and later concludes his advice by stating that a black man has no place in the Army. Upon their return to Crenshaw, Tre’s friend Darren, “Doughboy” (Baha Jackson), is seen in handcuffs, arrested for