The Hate U Give Themes

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“Always stay true to yourself and never let what anyone says distract you from your goals.”- Michelle Obama. In The Hate U Give, there are many themes that are presented. Some of them include racism and justice, family, standing up for what you believe, and many more. One of the most prominent themes is community and being true to yourself. The main character, 16 year old Starr Carter, is surrounded by different communities such her neighborhood, her school, and her friendships. Each of these are different from one another and represent Starr trying to “code switch” in different aspects of her life in order to change to fit in with people in each community. Only when these two communities intersect is when Starr feels free. Starr and her family …show more content…

In the opening chapter, Starr goes to a party in her neighborhood with her friend Kenya. Even though Starr has lived in this community her whole life, she feels uncomfortable as if she isn’t “black enough” because she goes to Williamson Prep, a mostly white private school. In the quote, “There are some places where it's not enough to be me. Either version of me” (Thomas, 2017, p. 3). Starr feels like she doesn’t fully fit in with the people of her community because she doesn’t go to school with them and also because she has other character traits and interests that make her more similar to her white friends. Being different makes Starr feel kind of insecure about herself. Another community represented in the book is Starr’s school. Williamson Prep is a mostly white private school that Starr and her brothers Seven and Sekani have been going to since they were little. In the text it states, “I just have to be normal Starr at normal Williamson and have a normal day. That means flipping the switch in my brain, so I’m Williamson Starr” (Thomas, 2017, p.71). This serves as another example of Starr's code

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