The Hate You Give Themes

Belonging is important for us. It's a feeling of being accepted as long as a sense of fitting in. The grasp for belonging can be both empowering and challenging, leading us to question who we are and where we belong. Belonging is essential for a lot of people, and without it, we can feel lost and disconnected from the world. This can clearly be seen in the world of The Hate You Give, where people are judged and discriminated against for being different. In The Hate You Give, by Angie Thomas, Starr finds the importance of belonging as the story goes on. She continues to question her identity and wonders if she's ever enough. By examining how Starr changes her character when she is in Garden Heights vs when she is Williamson Prep in THUG by

Chris visits Starr at uncle Carlos’s house to clear up everything that happened. Starr is feeling guilty, overwhelmed, and with the fact she thinks she is not enough for Chris. She has a meltdown and starts to argue with Chris and brings up racial differences. Chris is confused on why this is a factor to not be together. This leads Starr to start lashing out. Thomas states, “You’re white, okay?” I yell. “You’re white!” “I’m white?” he says, like he’s just hearing that for the first time. “What the f**k’s that got to do with anything?” “Everything! You’re white, I’m black. You’re rich, I’m not.” “That doesn’t matter!” he says. “I don’t care about that kinda stuff, Starr. I care about you” (Thomas 161). Starr is feeling like she does not belong with Chris, she feels that she is not good enough for him due to her skin color and the economic differences between them. The sense of belonging is an important attribute for

When Starr brings up the color of their skin and economic differences, this shows that their relationship is most impacted by . In conclusion, belonging in the world of THUG has some bad and good parts to it, some being the good feeling of acceptance, but also hurting one's individuality. Belonging is very important when it comes to someone in your everyday life, which helps build stronger relationships. Starr is going to the Williamson prom with Chris which is way different than Garden Heights parties so she has to adjust how she acts. Chris stays quiet until he brings up the fact that Starr was hiding that she was the witness from him. Starr feels like she can't show the Garden Heights Starr around different communities because they will think bad stuff about her. Starr thinks to herself. Thomas states, “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. As much as I say I don’t have to choose which Star I am with Chris, maybe without realizing it, I have to an extent. Part of me feels like I can’t exist around people like him” (Thomas