“I get to go first.”
“Why do you get to go first?”
“Because I’m in charge. Not you.”
“But why of all people would you be in charge?”
“Because I’m older and more responsible than you.” Does this sound familiar? Have you ever been told that line? “Because I’m older” or have you been the person to say that? If you were the one who said that, then did you ever think that maybe it was a good idea for the other person to go first? In P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia, Delphine is acting older than she really is, and is trying to have as much responsibility as possible at the age of eleven. She doesn’t take the time to enjoy her childhood and just have fun with her sisters. She wants to be in charge of them. In Gone Crazy in Alabama also by
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In P.S. Be Eleven the theme is when growing up, responsibility can change you and make you want to be older than you really are when you should stay young while you can is shown by the way that Delphine acts. For example, “Fern’s face was turning colors and her eyebrows reached up to say ‘please, please’ so I grabbed Fern’s hand, said, ‘Come on,’ and we exited the 727 without our chaperone.” (P.S. Be Eleven 4) Here, Delphine was breaking the rules for her sisters when they needed to use the restroom and they weren’t allowed. Delphine was being responsible and this time, it was her being a good sister, though she should not be given that responsibility by being in charge of her sisters at that age. The author shows that Delphine is being responsible because of the way that she made Delphine act in this situation. The actions that she did, showed the theme. Some people might have been too nervous to go out and do that. Especially because at this time when the book was taken place, there was racism. These girls were “colored” so they were not treated as well as others. In Gone Crazy in Alabama, the theme is you should consider all of the options that are given to you when you are given a choice and it is also shown through the characters' actions. It is shown by how Miss. Trotter and Ma Charles act around each other, and also how Delphine acts with her sisters -Vonetta and Fern-. An example of this is, “Fern planted both hands on her nothing hips and tapped her toe, doing her best Vonetta impression. Turning eight hadn’t grown Fern any taller. It had just made her mouthy.” (Gone Crazy in Alabama 3) Fern’s actions were showing how she can be rude and is not treating her sisters with respect. She had another option to act nicer, and she didn’t take that opportunity. Her actions were shown in detail, and therefore, the author conveys the different themes in each book through