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Thanhha Lai's Newbery Honor Book 'Inside Out & Back Again'

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George Bird Miss Toone ELA 8B, Per. 6 8 February 2024 Inside Out & Back Again: Hà's Transformation Within Thanhha Lai's Newbery Honor book Inside Out & Back Again, the main character (Hà's) growth goes hand-in-hand with the state of her papaya plant. Beginning with what's stated on page 2, she wishes to take care of her papaya plant to the point where it produces many fruits (Lai 2). This signifies that she is looking forward to what the future has in store for her, and she is looking forward to what is yet to come. Next, she is first to witness her papaya ripen as a 10-year-old, while brothers Khoi and Vu (who are more grounded and established) see flowers blooming up along with fruits at the trunk, and are ahead of Hà in terms of age and …show more content…

This represents how Hà's older brothers will always be at least eight years older than Hà, eight years further, taller, and ahead. Many of the things her brothers experience as they get older, Hà will experience as well, as she progresses through her cognitive development, just as they did. Later stated within the pages, her papaya tree sprouts promising fruit (Lai 21). This also represents how she is maturing into an older individual, and moreover, she later finds herself even more clinging to the trunk (Lai 41). Afterward, Brother Vu chops down her papaya plant (Lai 60). This marks the point at which she realizes that her life is taking a drastic turn in a direction she didn't anticipate. When she is aboard the ship to the United States and she receives her food ration, it reminds her of papaya fruit (Lai 78). This coincides with how she misses her old life back in Vietnam, and although getting a bite to eat may sound simple, it is enough in her circumstances to remind her of good times. To clarify, she loves daydreaming about snacks (Lai 81). Meanwhile, once she makes it to the land of opportunity, she does not feel that she belongs there. She receives dried papaya from Miss Washington, and it is not the same (Hai

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