Previous
Chapter 33
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
Haley tells the group about the first time she went to Kira and Holly’s house for Kira to braid her hair. Although she’s nervous, she tells the story of her father’s accident, her mother’s death, and her father’s subsequent imprisonment. As she speaks, she feels the support of the room, and Esteban, Ashton, and Amari react emotionally to her words. Picking up the part about Kira again, Haley recounts how she had asked her about her family, and how Haley had told her. Kira’s hand began to shake, and she asked if Haley’s mother was named Beryl Anderson.
Finally, Haley has the courage to share her own story. She’s the last of the group to do so (except for Holly, who never formally shares a story with the class at all), signifying her shyness and struggles with courage as well as the difficulty she’s had in processing her own past. As she speaks, though, she feels the harboring going both ways: the group supports her, and her words touch them.
Active
Themes
Haley learned that Kira and her mother had been friends while they were both pregnant. Kira told her that she looked like her mother, and Haley asked her what her mom liked while she was alive. Looking sad, Kira told her that she loved to laugh. Then, the sun came out from behind a cloud, and Kira told the girls how Haley’s mother used to say that every time the sun emerges from cloud cover, it’s “a message from the other side.” While Kira braided Haley’s hair, they swapped stories of her mother and uncle. In the A-R-T-T- room, Esteban tells Haley that her story makes him feel strong, and the others agree.
