Themes




Family Love

Family love can be seen in the book especially with the Logans, the main family in this book.  For example:

1. Papa and his love for his family,

  • "When Papa saw us, he began running swiftly, easily, like the wind",
  • "Papa said, ' Just had to come home and see' bout my babies.' He hugged and kissed each of us."
  • "When Papa saw Mama, his square, high-cheekboned face opened to a wide smile and lifting Mama with spirited gusto, he swung her around twice before setting her down and kissing her."
2. Stacey and his love towards his siblings,
  • Little Man, "totally dismayed by what had happened, he buried his face in his hands and cried". Stacey then "glared so fiercely at T.J. that he fell back . 'Just one word outta you, T.J.,' he said tightly. 'Just one word.'" "Stacey glowered at T.J. a moment longer, then walked swiftly to Little Man and put his long arm around his shoulders, saying softly, 'Come on, Man. It ain't gonna happen no more, least not for a long while. I promise you that.'"
3. Hammer Logan and his sacrifices for his family.
  • he "sold [his car]""borrowed some of [the money], sold a few things" to help the Logans pay off their debts. He even told Papa "what good's a car? It can't grow cotton. You can't build a home on it. And you can't raise four fine babies in it."
4. How Mr Simms care for his daughter and will want his daughter to get what she wants
  • my gal Lillian Jean says for you to get yo'self off the sidewalk, you get, you hear?"... "you hear me talkin' to you, gal? You 'pologize to Miz Lillian Jean this minute"

Land pride

Land Pride can be seen from how loyal Big Ma is to the land her husband built.
  • "all of 'em loved this place as much as Paul Edward and me. They go away, they always come back to it. Couldn't leave it."
  • "They blood's in this land, and here that Harlen Granger always talkin' 'bout buyin it" "He don't know nothin' 'bout me or this land, he think I'm gonna sell!"

Racism

Racism can be seen in many areas in this book. 

- From chapter one, we have the incident where Little Man saw what is written in the book that he got, "nigra". Worse, he could not do anything to correct that, Instead, he still had to get whipped by Miz Crocker.
- From chapter two, we have the incident about the death of "John Henry Berry" where he was wrongly accused for "flirtin' with [a white]".
- From Chapter three, racism can be seen from the Jefferson Davis bus incident where the bus would purposely "[zoom] from behind and [splash] [the children] with the murky waters of the road". [The children] consequently found [themselves] comical objects to cruel eyes that gave no thought to [their] misery."
- From chapter six, we have the incident that involves Cassie, Mr Barnett and Lillian Jean.
- From chapter seven, racism can be seen from the story Mr Morrison told.
- From chapter eight, racism can be seen from the unfair way the whites treated Mama.
- From chapter nine, racism can be seen from the accident where Papa got shot by the whites.
-From chapter ten, racism is seen in the words Kaleb Wallace said to Mr Morrison.
- from chapter eleven, racism can be seen from the way T.J. was treated by his "so-called" friends.
- from chapter twelve, racism can be seen from the way the whites dealt with T.J.