Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Copper Sun, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Slavery, Dehumanization, and Resistance
Horror vs. Beauty
Friendship
Memory and Storytelling
Gender, Race, and Power
Summary
Analysis
Amari’s next few months are miserable as she works to assimilate. She and Polly chop wood for Teenie and tend to the fire. Polly seems to still resent that she’s not at the big house, though she relaxes some. She refuses to touch any of the slaves, and she and Amari merely tolerate each other. Tidbit shows the girls how to perform tasks. Amari learns to cook food she’s never seen before, like venison. She learns that the smokehouse is the only building on the plantation that’s locked all the time. When fish arrive, Amari shows Teenie how to make fish stew like Mother made. One day, when yams come in, Amari babbles excitedly and is only able to get out “my mama” in English. Teenie kindly says that her mother came from Africa too, and that as long as Amari remembers Africa and her mother, they’ll never disappear.
Because Polly continues to believe she’s better than all the slaves simply because of the color of her skin, it’s impossible for her to form any truly meaningful relationships with them. Teenie and Amari, on the other hand, are able to connect thanks to their shared experiences. Teenie is able to help Amari figure out how to hold onto her memories and her sense of self, something that will be essential if Amari is to survive. Essentially, Teenie proposes that they can never forget their memories or, in later generations, their ancestors’ stories—those stories allow them to be more than just slaves.
Themes
Tidbit laughs constantly and makes the days easier. He’s a trickster, and he teaches Amari English. Amari is glad that Polly talks to her all the time—it makes learning easier. However, though Amari improves and can understand more, she knows she sounds stupid since she still speaks so poorly. She learns the value of staying silent and acting ignorant, and Teenie silently praises these efforts.
Amari’s life becomes a balancing act as she tries to simultaneously learn as much as possible while not letting the Derbys know that she’s learning anything. Language can still be a useful tool—but only if she uses it to understand what’s going on, not to freely express herself.
Themes
At least twice a week, Clay summons Amari to his bedroom. Amari thinks of her childhood while she’s with him, but it’s hard to do this on nights when he wants to talk. One night, he scornfully vents about Mrs. Derby and how Mr. Derby is excited for her pregnancy. He then asks if Amari likes him. Amari pretends she doesn’t understand, but finally she says she does. She says she got the blanket he sent for her, though she secretly gave it to Sarah Jane, a slave who recently had a baby. Warmly, Clay sends Amari back to her hut and says he’ll “let” her come back tomorrow. Amari shivers uncontrollably.
Amari’s memories don’t seem to mean as much when they can’t protect her from Clay’s constant abuse. However, Amari isn’t entirely powerless: though she must submit to Clay if she wants to survive, she can still resist him by passing along his gifts to others who need them more. By supporting Sarah Jane and her new baby, Amari can make sure that the next generation survives to hear and keep slaves’ stories alive.
Themes
