66 pages • 2-hour read
The Scammer
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Themes
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death by suicide, death, physical abuse, and emotional abuse.
The Struggle Between Belonging and Autonomy
Throughout the novel, Jordyn repeatedly grapples with the tension between her desire to belong and her need to maintain personal autonomy. Her choices are often shaped by a fear of isolation, which leads her to accept controlling relationships that compromise her agency. This struggle ultimately shapes Jordyn’s development and coming-of-age journey.
Jordyn’s vulnerability stems in part from her transition to Frazier and her unresolved grief over Kevin’s death. Early in the novel, she is drawn to Devonte and his group because they offer certainty and a sense of community. However, this belonging comes at the cost of independence: Devonte dictates what Jordyn eats, how she spends money, and what information she is allowed to question. His ideology aligns obedience with enlightenment, making resistance feel like betrayal. Jordyn’s willingness to comply—evidenced by her giving him money and unquestioningly accepting his theories and explanations—demonstrates how belonging is prioritized over self-determination, especially as Jordyn begins this new stage of her life.
This tension reappears in Jordyn’s relationship with Nick. While Nick does not exert control, Jordyn initially treats their relationship as transactional. Because she needs a place to stay, she helps him with his campaign and devotes her spare time to bettering his image with FUSA. At the same time, she agrees to pretend to be his girlfriend, holding his hand and allowing him to kiss her in exchange for a place of safety. In doing so, she repeatedly suppresses her own needs, minimizing her fear of Dante and voluntarily quitting FUSA to protect Nick’s image, in exchange for the stability that Nick offers. Even when he offers support, Jordyn struggles to assert emotional boundaries, showing that her fear of losing personal connection and belonging persists even under healthier dynamics.
By the end of the novel, Jordyn begins to reclaim autonomy without fully rejecting belonging. Her decision to remain at Frazier, despite her parents’ wishes and the trauma she endured, reflects a choice made on her own terms rather than out of pressure or loyalty. At the same time, she evolves her relationship with Nick; she opens up to him, allows him to open up in return, and forms a genuine connection with him. She evolves throughout the novel as she finds balance between her need for community and the necessity of forming her own identity. Her growth lies in learning to distinguish connection from control, as the novel argues that true belonging must coexist alongside individual agency and growth.
The Lasting Effects of Grief
Grief operates as an underlying force in the novel that shapes characters’ motivations, vulnerabilities, and choices. Rather than presenting grief as a linear process, The Scammer shows how unresolved loss continues to influence behavior long after the initial event. Jordyn’s grief over Kevin’s death drives both her emotional isolation and her susceptibility to manipulation, acting as the foundation for both plot and her character’s development over the course of the novel.
Jordyn’s connection to Frazier itself is rooted in grief, as Kevin’s acceptance letter and his Frazier mug inspire her decision to attend the university. Even the novel’s plot twist, which reveals that Jordyn also attended Frazier to seek out Devonte and Vanessa, is tied to her grief: She feels as though she cannot move past Kevin’s death without getting revenge. Throughout the novel, Jordyn avoids directly confronting his death, instead channeling her energy into understanding the systems and people that she believes contributed to it. Her fixation on Devonte and Vanessa is fueled by a need for explanation and accountability, reflecting her refusal to accept Kevin’s death by suicide as an isolated incident. This unresolved grief leaves Jordyn emotionally exposed, making Devonte’s promises of clarity and purpose appealing to her.
Grief also manifests in Jordyn’s interactions with Nick, whose trauma over Ashley’s murder mirrors her own loss. Nick’s fear of intimacy and repeated withdrawal from Jordyn’s attempts to learn about him emphasize his limited ability to move forward. Their relationship becomes a space where both characters recognize their pain but still struggle to overcome it. As Jordyn notes, “My heart cracks once more with a loud clink, knowing there’s nothing I can say to change his mind just like there’s nothing anyone can say to change my mind about Kevin. I step back with a nod” (290). Her resignation highlights an acknowledgment of both the restrictive nature and complications of grief. Affection or logic are not strong enough to heal their grief; instead, they both need time.
In the end, the novel portrays grief as something that must be acknowledged before it can be resolved. For Nick, sharing Ashley’s story with Jordyn allows him to admit that he still struggles with the loss, while inviting Jordyn into his life helps him take steps toward healing. Similarly, in the final chapters, Jordyn admits that revenge has shaped many of her choices, emphasizing her need for said revenge as an extension of mourning rather than a solution to it. The novel’s final line, “Kevin would have loved it here” (358), highlights her newfound ability to move forward with her life while still keeping the memory of her brother alive. She now has a sense of closure that allows her to stay for herself, connecting her love of Frazier to Kevin, rather than allowing it to be dictated by him, illustrating how she has integrated his loss into her life and is now able to move forward.
The Impact of Culture and Community on Identity Formation
Coming of age is a process defined by personal growth and, in The Scammer, by the impact of cultural and communal forces. Jordyn’s development occurs within the context of an HBCU, where conversations about race, justice, and identity are ongoing and often intense. These discussions and Jordyn’s developing understanding of the issues that impact her life both support and endanger her as she navigates adulthood.
Devonte takes advantage of the college environment and the students’ ongoing identity development, illustrating how cultural language can be weaponized within a community. By asserting that his control is a form of racial awakening, he exploits Jordyn and other students’ desire to understand systemic oppression. His lectures on food, menstruation, and the need for a place like “Emancipation” entirely outside of the white community show how misinformation gains power when he ties it directly to their collective Black identity. For Jordyn in particular, participation in this community initially feels like maturity and awareness, as Devonte is older and has lived outside of college as an adult. However, Devonte’s influence ultimately has the opposite effect, stalling her personal growth through his use of her growing understanding of cultural issues to inspire fear.
At the same time, Frazier offers legitimate spaces for empowerment, particularly through student leadership and political engagement. Jordyn’s work with FUSA and Neveah’s encouragement to run for office present Jordyn with a brief glimpse of how life at Frazier can foster confidence and agency. Similarly, Nick’s character underscores the value of institutional involvement and activism. He explains to Jordyn that he works with arrested protesters to help them find legal guidance and support upon their release, and he also channels his involvement on campus into tangible change by the novel’s end. These contrasting experiences show that community itself is not harmful; rather, its impact depends on whether it encourages critical thinking or blind obedience. Jordyn’s acknowledgment of the harm that Devonte is doing best articulates this duality. As she explains,
These girls wanted to be my friends, from day one with no hesitation. And I never experienced that kind of love and instant loyalty. Yet it’s starting to feel like we’re a family of Black dolls propped up, collected, manipulated, and I can’t seem to stand the idea of cutting the strings that bind us to our puppet master. Because then I will be alone (165).
For Jordyn, the girls in her dorm initially represent the type of personal connection that she needs in order to discover the Black community and culture on which she has missed out. However, as she begins to realize how much Devonte is controlling their growth, she uses a simile to compare their situation to being “Black dolls” that are “manipulated” by Devonte. At this point, she begins to recognize that the potential for positive culture and development is there, as long as they do not allow their “strings” to be controlled by someone like Devonte.
By the novel’s end, Jordyn’s coming of age is defined by her ability to navigate these competing cultural pressures and understand who to align herself with while maintaining her own individual identity. With Dr. Barnes’s help, she learns to think critically, to question authority, recognize manipulation, and decide which communities deserve her trust and loyalty. Her decision to remain at Frazier signals a commitment to growth as an individual within Black culture and community.
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