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Chapter 11
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in New Kid, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Racism
Friendship
Kindness, Curiosity, and Judgment
Class and the Value of Education
Summary
Analysis
Two weeks later, at lunch, Andy asks Ramon if his mom makes chalupas, or if chalupas are specific to Taco Bell. Drew tells Andy to knock it off, and Andy grouses that everyone is way too sensitive. And anyway, Andy continues, he and Ramon are friends and Ramon doesn’t mind. Drew argues that Andy is just being a jerk, to which Andy insists that Drew is just jealous that Andy played baseball while Drew and his friends sat on the bench. Enraged, Drew insists he doesn’t care about baseball—he just hates that Andy can be mean to people without consequences. Andy accuses Drew of picking on him and insinuates that Drew was made quarterback because he’s Black, but Drew retorts that Andy has been insufferable since Collin left, and Andy wasn’t nice to Collin.
Finally, things come to a head between Andy and Drew. Drew calls Andy out on his racist, insensitive, and otherwise cruel behavior—which, as Drew notes, has gone unchallenged by authority figures and other kids alike for the entire school year. Ramon, for instance, has never said anything to Andy about Andy’s bullying, though his facial expressions throughout the novel have suggested that he does actually mind Andy’s comments. Calling Andy out becomes a fight, but it’s also notable in that Drew is really just asking Andy to be kind or be quiet. He’s not trying to be mean.
Active
Themes
Andy pushes at Drew, and Drew pushes back. Andy slips on an apple and falls down. Ms. Rawle appears out of nowhere and demands that Drew come to talk to Headmaster Hansen. Drew insists that Andy slipped, and Ashley backs him up. Andy, however, insists Drew pushed him. Jordan, watching this happen, feels overwhelmed. He’s tired of trying to fit in, watching the wrong person be blamed, and seeing “bad kids getting rewarded for their mean behavior.” He feels so out of control—but then, he feels like he’s turning into a superhero. He stands on a table and tells Ms. Rawle what he saw happen, asking others to back him up. Ashley, Liam, Ruby, Alex, and even DeAndre speak up. Ramon does too—and he shouts to Andy that he’s Nicaraguan, not Mexican, and he’s been saying so since kindergarten.
Initially, Ms. Rawle jumps to take Andy’s side—either ignoring that she saw him trip if she saw this happen, or flat-out refusing to listen to Drew, likely because of her prejudice against him. As he watches this happen, Jordan reaches his breaking point. Channeling Batman, who always “stands up for the little guys,” Jordan realizes that he can empower himself just by using his voice. This seems to inspire his classmates, notably Ramon. It comes out that Andy’s comments about Mexican food were even more insulting, given that Ramon isn’t Mexican—and Andy wasn’t willing or able to listen to Ramon the many times Ramon has tried to share that.
Active
Themes
Both Mr. Garner and Mr. Roche approach and tell Ms. Rawle that they believe Drew and Jordan. Drew takes the opportunity to point out DeAndre, now that the two Black boys are standing next to each other, and he notes that they don’t look the same at all. Ms. Rawle grudgingly accepts that she was wrong. She tells Drew and Andy to clean up the mess and takes away a free period. As Andy and Drew begin to mop up the floor, Jordan, Liam, and eventually the rest of the class gets down to help Drew with his section. After a few minutes, Jordan excuses himself to go vomit in the bathroom. Then, on the bus that afternoon, Jordan realizes his sketchbook isn’t in his backpack.
Active
Themes
