Themes In Tattoos On The Heart By Gregory Boyle

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There are a few great themes in Tattoos on the Heart, a novel by Gregory Boyle. Boyle is a Jesuit priest and founder of Homeboy Industries which is a gang-intervention program that helps gang members change their lives. The main message throughout this memoir would absolutely be compassion and solidarity. Boyles believes these two attributes are the key to breaking through the barriers that prevent gang members from leading reformed lives.
In his memoir, he invites his audience to gain insight into the need for solidarity in our world, probably now more than ever. His hope is for the reader to develop compassion and gain an understanding of unconditional love. His quest for solidarity is ultimately the main focus of this book. For Boyle, …show more content…

After spending time in Bolivia doing mission work Boyle decided he wanted to help the poor and requested such upon his return. This was around the time he was assigned to be a minister at the Dolores Mission Church. The church was located in a very poor neighborhood in Los Angeles. It was during this time that Boyle noticed how the gang violence was destroying the community. He decided to do as much as he could to make a difference and give the effort required to help change lives of gang members for the better. His idea of this difference was to treat them like humans, something no one else bothered to do …show more content…

From compassion comes solidarity and from solidarity comes the empowerment for redemption. Boyle’s desire to help the less fortunate redeem themselves in society set the ground work for his creation of Homeboy Industries, the non-profit organization dedicated to helping gang members change their lives for the better through education and employment opportunities. After Boyle shows these gang members love and compassion they begin to excel in their path of redemption. Boyle’s efforts prove that ostracizing gang members only makes the environment worse for everyone. Homeboy Industries proves that with hard work redemption is absolutely possible for anyone who truly wants to

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