Eraser Tattoo

Dante, Shay’s boyfriend, is a static protagonist of “Eraser Tattoo.” He is devastated that Shay is moving away and remains hopeful that the two will remain a couple. He lets Shay tattoo her initial on his arm, and he wants to mark her skin with his initial too. Throughout the story, Dante tells Shay that he loves her twice. Though it’s implied that Shay loves Dante, she doesn’t say it at any point. At the end of the story, Dante reflects on the fact that the scar Shay leaves on him—both literally and figuratively—will stay forever: While Shay seems likely to move on from this early relationship, Dante may struggle to do so. Dante jokes about building a bridge from Brooklyn to North Carolina or buying Shay an airplane so they can continue to see each other. Even though these are jokes, they are evidence of his less practical view of their future.

As the new tenants move in, they shove past Dante on the stoop, repeatedly pushing him closer and closer to its edge until he stands up and makes an angry remark at them. Being pushed off the stoop symbolizes how longstanding Black residents are being forced out of Dante and Shay’s neighborhood, and Dante’s strong reaction shows how highly resistant he is to this change. In contrast to Shay’s view, Dante fights against The Inevitability of Change, and he also struggles more than she does with The Challenges of Young Love.

Dante endures Shay tattooing her initial on his arm even though it’s extremely painful, exemplifying how his resistance to change can hurt him.

Shay’s mother is a supporting character. She is the most deeply saddened by the family’s move, as she has lived in their home for twenty years and is attached to it. The family spends the day packing, and she takes intermittent breaks throughout the day to cry. Shay’s mom also shares Dante’s intense animosity toward the new tenants, who are generally disrespectful and completely ignore Shay’s family. This anger parallels Dante’s reluctance to accept The Inevitability of Change, though Shay’s mom seems to accept her personal circumstances more than Dante accepts his own. Right before Shay and her mom drive off, Shay’s mom looks at Shay and Dante with “loss and love” in her smile, suggesting that she is sympathetic to their situation and understands The Challenges of Young Love.

Shay’s father plays a very small role in “Eraser Tattoo.” In the story’s opening scene, he drives away toward North Carolina to get a head start, and the new tenants’ car pulls up immediately in his spot—“a replacement” (3). Shay’s father’s departure sets the story in motion. He is already on the way to North Carolina, making room for the new tenants. Calling their car a “replacement” draws attention to the reality that Shay’s father and his family are being displaced from their home involuntarily, which ties into one of the story’s main themes—Race and Gentrification.

Shay tells Dante that her father would kill him if she allowed Dante to tattoo his initial on her skin. This is likely more of an excuse than anything else, as Shay just wants to avoid the permanent scar of Dante’s initial, but it also suggests that Shay’s father cares deeply about his family.