Young Lions

In Young Lions, Jones uses the metaphor throughout the story to liken Caesar our protagonist to the wild feline beast that the title suggests. In the opening scene, Caesar is naked, a characteristic of the wild, and he also has to start his day with some milk, a feline trait. Jones uses the phrase "an empty apartment bring(s) down the soul" at couple of different times in the story, and the phrase conjures an image to me of a caged animal pacing, restless and eager for freedom. Caesar is this caged animal, "anxious to be out in the streets". Another cat-like trait that Jones bestows on Caesar is grooming. Since our protagonist is technically human, he does not have any fur to preen; it is the way that Caesar dresses that gives him this quality. Caesar is a very clothes-conscious person, his leather jacket, gold key ring, and expensive pants are described, and even when he was robbing his father's house, he "took as many of his clothes as he could carry". Another lion trait that Jones gives Caesar is fierceness. Caesar is a violent force to be reckoned with, just as the king of the jungle. He carries a gun instead of wielding teeth and claws, and he is unrepentant and ferocious with his weapon. He recalls with fondness his past kills as he touches his gun to take it with him for the day. Volatility is yet another way that Jones relates Caesar to a cat. Caesar will be in bed with his girlfriend one minute and storming out the door the next, praising her for her performance helping him with his con in one breath and yelling and beating her in the next breath.

Jones may use this extended metaphor in his story to show the wildness of urban life, and that often one must become a predator to keep from being prey. Or he may show that Caesar is a "young" lion, not just a lion, by his misuse or overuse of his power, just as young animals often do not know their own strength.