A prominent thematic throughout the novel, Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Patillo Beals is self-reliance. In many instances throughout the novel, Melba must be brave and is sometimes not able to rely on anyone else but herself. There are many figures in the novel that help her overcome obstacles but in many cases, she is forced to fight the battle on her own. One could imply that the tone of the novel is fearful because she is terrified in multiple occasions and is forced to overcome these challenges. The theme of self-reliance for Melba starts when she joins Central High. When she joined that high school, almost every single person at the school is hostile towards Melba and the other black kids. This change is very different for her because …show more content…
She is forced to use this theme of self-reliance in order to get through that very difficult time. There are many times in the book where Melba feels like giving up. She is forced to persevere through these times and believe in herself. While talking to Grandma India she says, “I tried to do some of the things Gandhi talks about--you know, keeping calm in your own mind no matter what’s going on outside.” Melba has to push herself during hard moments to keep her from giving up. Many kids at school also try getting in her head, screaming hurtful things whenever she walks by. Melba learns to get past these words and just ignore everything that any of those people say about her. She gets over the immense fear she is feeling and realizes that she needs to rely on no one but herself and to transform into a warrior. The theme of self-reliance is a very important theme within the novel. Melba learns from all of the experiences she has had and it shapes herself into an independent person. She grows up from being into an innocent child and becomes a person who can rely on herself. While is in this process of becoming an adult, Melba learns to rely on herself more and more instead of the people around her. This greatly shapes her into the adult she