Omar Little

Omar Little from The Wire  is as controversial as a character can get.  As a gangster, Omar is at home in the streets and a big player in "the game".  The best thing that defines Omar is perhaps the thing that defines him the least, and that is his ability to transcend social parameters.  As a homosexual male, Omar has already bent the rules on what can be tough in the city of Baltimore.  His partner was killed by Avon Barksdale's goon squad and laid out for all to see which sparked a fire in Omar fueling a rampage and providing a magnetic attraction drawing Omar closer towards Lt. Daniels unit.  Another characteristic of note which helps to define Omar is his, almost chivalrous code of honor or street ethics which are inherently different that others who run the same streets.  Omar speaks on this when he says that he never pointed a gun at someone who was not in the game.  This combination of sexual transcendence and moral code which Omar follows, separates Omar from all other characters in the series.  He goes from hardened gangster, to lover, to a grieving partner, to an informant; things which all work together to help to define Omar Little.  Not one of these things could define him alone nor if one were missing as Omar develops into his full character.  The fact that Omar develops so drastically over time makes him hard to define.  I think that this makes him an ever changing character.  He transforms so violently that no one scene in The Wire can define Omar.  However, there are several instances where Omar could be understood.  When he says, "Oh, Indeed,", or "It's all in the game,", or my personal favorite "Ayo, lesson here, Bey. You come at the King, you best not Miss".  By looking at these quotes in context we begin to see into the character of Omar Little.