Tattoos On The Heart Analysis

Kinship is a great part of the memoir Tattoos on the Heart, by Father Greg Boyle. Kinship doesn’t have to be a blood relationship with another. Father Greg Boyle says that kinship, to him, means, “not serving the other, but one being one with the other” (188). Father Greg Boyle portrays kinship in many ways, such as in the holidays, beginning of school, and through encouragements. Father Greg Boyle shows an enormous amount of kinship throughout his novel and continues to show it at Homeboys Industries. The Kinship that he shows to everyone changes the workers at Homeboys Industries, cholos, and gang members lives to a better one.

Father Greg Boyle shows kinship during the holidays in Tattoos on the Heart when an orphan calls him on New Years. During their conversation, the orphan tells Father Greg he invited his friends to have dinner because, like him, they don’t have a family. Having dinner with his friends on Christmas day has a good impact on
Father Greg Boyle hands out a lot of company cards a day to gangbangers to encourage them to come see him at Homeboy Industries. One day, Louie acknowledges the opportunity to see Father Boyle. Father says, “The two of us collapse in laughter and, suddenly, there’s kinship so quickly” (188). This story connects to kinship because Father says that they have kinship right when they met. Kinship has a great impact on Louie because he decides to leave his past behind and change.

In conclusion, this memoir really touched me. It has its funny moments and it also has its sad moments. Kinship is a great part of the novel because if it weren’t for kinship, none of the gangbangers would’ve gotten along in the first place. Father Greg Boyle makes a good decision in making Homeboys Industries and creating kinship between gangbangers who decide to change their