Alicia kim's blog

Introduction:
The Hate U Give is a coming-of-age novel by Angie Thomas. It was published in 2017 and was made into a film in 2018. The story is set in Gardening Heights, where Starr Carter, the protagonist of the book, lives. She goes through an incident that gives her trauma but ends up standing up for herself and fighting for justice. This novel is known for its thriller and social injustice aspects in the book.

Plot:
Starr Carter, goes to a white high school along with Kenya, her friend who shares an older half-brother. Starr hangs out with her childhood friend, Khalil, but a gunshot cancels the party. He offers to take her home but he gets stopped by a police officer. He was brutally shot after he moved to check on Starr. Starr went to the police station to talk about the incident but instead, they only talked about Khalil. They ended up not giving the officer who shot him any consequences. This causes protests in the neighborhood. Devante, the youngest member of a gang, comes to Starr’s father, who was a former gang member, to help him escape. Starr’s dad gets into a light argument with a barber and the police intervene. Since he was Starr’s dad, the police ignored and disrespected him. Starr decides to stand up for the injustice. The case of Khalil goes to the court and the jury asks Starr to speak up. She agrees and gets a chance to do an interview. Devante tells her about Khalil’s drug dealing and how it was dedicated to his mom’s debt to King, the leader of the gang. King gets enraged after watching Starr’s interview. At night, someone burns Carter’s household. This almost caused Starr to back out from testifying but she realizes that the world needs to know the truth. After two months, the jury declares no charges against the police. Starr and her friends get caught up in a riot which results in a protest. The police break them up by using tear gas and Starr and her friends go to her grocery store to heal their eyes. However, King threw a cocktail in the store and the fire bursted out. The neighbors testified that it was King who was the one who threw the cocktail. King gets arrested. Starr promises to fight for justice.

Analysis:
The novel mainly focuses on the themes of justice and injustice. Starr had been through troubles, struggles, and hardship, especially on injustice. When she witnesses her friend, Khalil dying because of a police, she decides to stand up for her friend. In the middle of the story, Starr realizes that it wasn’t a matter of her friends, but also a matter of her family and friends. Even though there were accidents and incidents and times when she was afraid for the future, she stood up for all of them including herself for the injustice. This whole plotline shows her fighting the injustice in the world around her and standing up for herself and her loved ones alongside her. This novel also includes social justice and status matters. The white police shot her black friend, Khalil, because of his skin color. Additionally, Starr and her family aren’t welcomed into the community as other neighbors. Starr’s dad had once been in a gang, and Khalil had been drug-dealing for the leader of the gang. Contrasting their life with others, the police didn’t give any consequences to the white police. Adding on, Starr had to listen to the jury whether she agreed or not. This portrays how the social status and position matter in every society. The more respected position you are in, the more power you have. This story also reflects political views and opinions. As it goes along with social injustice, Starr and her family had a different perspective when it came to political view. She was well aware of the situation given to Khalil and the police. She went as far as protesting for the sake of her dead friend. This book has numerous themes on political views, social injustice, and social status.

Conclusion:
The Hate U Give is a coming-of-age novel by Angie Thomas. It was published in 2017 and was released as a movie in 2018. The protagonist, Starr, loses a friend after a white police shoots him. She stands up for her friend despite the circumstances she was in. She kept protesting and went through many accidents along the way. Even though she was almost killed by a gang leader, she decided to keep fighting for justice. The novel covers three crucial themes: political views, social injustice, and social status. Through Starr’s actions and journey, it is visible how the three themes portrayed in the book are enormous aspects of society.