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Summary
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Harbor Me, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Freedom and Justice
Stories and Memory
Unity vs. Division
Race and Identity
Summary
Analysis
As the sun begins to set, Haley sits on her bed in Brooklyn, New York and listens to her voice recorder. As she replays the first line of the recording, she thinks to herself that “it’s over now.” Haley looks at an Ailanthus tree outside and remembers reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, a book in which the same species of tree grows steadily outside of a girl’s fire escape despite the upheaval of other parts of her life. Haley remembers that Ms. Laverne, her teacher, had compared her and five other students—Esteban, Tiago, Ashton, Amari, and Holly—to the tree in the story.
As Harbor Me begins, Haley is reflecting upon endings. At the same time, though, the tree outside Haley’s window continues to grow, demonstrating that even when some things end, Haley herself is strong and constant. Haley’s preoccupation with endings is fitting, since the sun—a symbol of change and renewal—is just beginning to go down outside her window. It isn’t yet clear, though, just what Haley is thinking about that’s “over now.”
Active
Themes
Downstairs, Haley’s father is playing the piano, and upstairs, her uncle is preparing to move out of their apartment. He has promised to visit, but Haley is used to living with him. Haley thinks about how she will soon start seventh grade with her best friend Holly, but how the other four students will be missing. Haley continues to replay the first line of the recording, reflecting on how much she “miss[es] everything.”
Active
Themes
