The Hate U Give By Angie Thomas

Often people change themself to be liked by another person, but the change makes them question their own identity. The Hate U Give, a novel by Angie Thomas, explores the conflicting identities of a young adolescent girl. The more Starr wants to fit in, the more her character struggles to understand herself. The novel depicts how teenagers struggle with competing identities when compelled to blend in. It also demonstrates how Black Americans are perceived in society, and how this causes them to battle with their own identity. The novel demonstrates what Starr’s two different worlds are, her response to the colliding cultures, and how this demonstrates the universal theme of identity.
Starr Carter starts to change herself, to fit in accordingly.

The people at Garden Heights believe that Starr thinks she is in a higher position than the rest of the neighborhood. This exemplifies Starr's cultural collision, as she begins to alter her voice and identity to conform to the standards of her community. Due to the long history of Black Americans being stereotyped, and them accepting these stereotypes Starr does not want to seem ‘white’. Starr does not want to be the stereotypical stuck-up girl from the ghetto who attends a posh all-white school. Starr simply wants to belong at Garden Heights, and to do so she keeps changing how she behaves, how she talks, and the person she is. This demonstrates how being stereotyped in her community is causing Starr to be untrue to herself. This also shows how that causes some race groups to be oppressed because of the judgemental views. Starr also wishes to feel like she belongs in her neighborhood. However, because Starr does not attend Garden High, she finds it difficult to fit in, as revealed by "it's hard to make friends when you go to a school that's forty-five minutes away and you're a latchkey kid who's only seen at her family's store." (Thomas 6). Starr goes to Williamson and lives in Garden Heights. The

Starr doesn’t fit in at garden Heights, or Williamson. “Being two different people is so exhausting. I’ve taught myself to speak with two different voices and only say certain things around certain people. I’ve mastered it” (Thomas ). The novel shows that Starr being two different people and mastering it proves how the stereotypes of Black Americans lead them to Code Switch because they feel like they don’t belong in places with other people. But also, in their neighborhood if they are hanging around other races because then they don’t consider them Black anymore. The fact that Starr does not fit in Garden Heights or Williamson, as well as how she chooses what to say, demonstrates that she has lost sight of who she is. People around the world believe that Black Americans behave in a certain way, and they always cast a negative light on them to justify their racist views. Furthermore, Angie Thomas wants Starr's character to demonstrate how this affects her because of the way people perceive her changes her entirely. Starr attempts to fit in at both worlds, but because of how Black Americans are stereotyped, she no longer knows who she is. Moreover, Starr quickly realizes that rather than hiding her background and attempting to change who she is, she should embrace it. Starr admits proudly, “I can’t change where I come