The Contender is a coming-of-age novel, and its major themes are universal. They do not apply just to Alfred or to boxing or to Harlem. The themes of The Contender inform all of us about life, which is Mr. Donatelli's point from the moment that he first talks with Alfred. Donatelli's code applies to all of life, not just to boxing. In addition to being universal, the novel's themes are intertwined, making it difficult to separate them. Even when one theme seems separate and distinct, it reflects the others.
The first theme that we encounter in the novel is that the true importance of friendship is to be there for your friend but not to sink with him if he chooses to sink. Alfred is devoted to his best friend, James, and he is willing to do almost anything for him. Alfred is concerned when James does not show up to go to the movies with him, but he knows his friend well enough to guess exactly where he is. At the clubroom, Alfred, the protagonist of the novel, must encounter his primary antagonist, Major, leader of the street gang. Major pretends to be a friend of James, just as he later pretends to be Alfred's friend; but Alfred knows that Major only wants to drag James down and control him. Although Alfred is devoted to James, he knows that friendship must have limits. James sticks with the gang even though they taunt and insult Alfred. Alfred wants to be with James but draws the line when the gang leaves to break into Epsteins' grocery. When James chooses to go down that road, Alfred does not follow. He would rather be alone than with "friends" like that. Nevertheless, Alfred is there for James in his friend's most desperate moment at the end of the novel. Alfred is a true friend because he wants James to be all that he can be.
