How Does The Basketball Symbolize Bobby In The First Part End

"Are you a man" that is the question that just frank a homeless man in the story The First Part Last has been asking bobby the main character in the first part last.

The basketball symbolized bobby's childhood in this novel. "i laid my basketball down and it rolled out the door into the hall and towards Mary's room". The ball rolled away because bobby almost forgot his baby girl feather.
The ball had rolled away because he realized what he had just done he had forgotten.
So the the basketball symbolizes bobby's childhood because of it rolls away at the moment he realizes what he had done.

The arcade also symbolized bobby coming of age in this novel.
This is important because we see that bobby starts to slowly neglect the things
His friends would sometimes visit and help but most of the time he was taking care of everything. Soon things were starting to get harder when he eventually couldn't do both take care of the baby and take care of school but he still could manage.
Towards the end of the story you learn what happen to nia.
She has been at the hospital because after she gave birth to the baby she had been diagnosed with a brain damage that is only caused by high blood pressure.
After bobby's brother visits he decided to move in with his dad then he decides to move to heaven Ohio and he says the town is like something out of a Post card a nice little town with nice people.

Things that would symbolize bobby coming of age would be the arcade because he could say no to it i have a responsibility he now knows what to do then theres the the doctors note he wanted to ask this doctor for a note to excuse him from school like he did when he was younger but he knew he couldn't do that. Finally the basket ball because when he set the ball down it rolled away from him symbolizing his childhood rolling away from him as he realizes what he must