Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Outcasts United, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Refugees, Discrimination, and Resilience
Community and Teamwork vs. Division
Leadership and Respect
Discipline, Dedication, and Success
Summary
Analysis
On October 27, the news reports that there has been a prison riot in Kinshasa: five inmates were killed, and fourteen escaped. Paula Balegamire calls friends, but no one knows whether her husband is among the dead or escaped.
The opening of this chapter bookends with the end of the previous chapter, which again reminds Luma of how much her players have gone through (and continue to go through) as refugees.
Themes
On Halloween, Luma surprises the boys by taking them trick-or-treating in a wealthy part of Decatur. It is most of the boys’ first Halloween, and so Luma buys them costumes and bags for candy. They are amazed to see children in elaborate costumes roaming the streets, and the decorations. They walk through the neighborhood, gathering candy.
Luma continues to go above and beyond to take care of her players, treating them to a new collective cultural experience by celebrating an American holiday.
Themes
At one point, the boys encounter an American girl with a group of friends wearing a soccer uniform. Grace doesn’t understand that she’s in costume and asks what position she plays. Both the girls and the Fugees laugh at the misunderstanding. A short while later, they head back to the bus, crashing from their sugar highs. Later that evening, Grace lies in bed and hears gunshots. He stays low in his room, afraid. Later the police arrive, make no arrests, and pull away. Grace closes his eyes and tries to return to sleep.
Again, St. John juxtaposes the Fugees with some of their American counterparts. While the girls here are relatively carefree and presumably come from this world of wealth, the Fugees are only temporary visitors. When they return home, Grace is subjected to a reminder that he, as someone who has come to this country with nothing, must continue to endure the dangers of living in a low-income neighborhood.
Themes
