Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Piecing Me Together, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Intersectionality, Identity, and Discrimination
The Power of Language
Mentorship, Opportunity, and Dignity
Friendship
Summary
Analysis
Lee Lee and Sam come over to make holiday cards. Lee Lee frets that she’s not a good artist, but Jade reminds her that they’re just making collages using old cards from years past. Lee Lee laughs that Jade must have forgotten sixth grade, and Jade tells the story for Sam: their class drew self-portraits for parent night, but their teacher thought Lee Lee’s was awful and didn’t put it up. Lee Lee assures Sam it didn’t hurt her feelings; up until that point, Jade did Lee Lee’s art homework and Lee Lee wrote things for Jade. Sam laughs.
This story of Lee Lee’s horrendous art project continues to bring up all the events that have helped Lee Lee and Jade become close friends over the years. Even if Jade and Sam don’t have memories like this yet, this doesn’t mean that they’re not good friends—the experience of making cards and sharing stories together is one that will continue to cement their friendship.
Themes
A few hours in, Lee Lee asks Sam what she’s good at. Sam thinks and says she’s not really good at anything. She says she’d rather read or look at art than write or make things herself. Jade suggests this means that Sam is a good listener and a good friend. Lee Lee pipes up that that’s a great skill and then she talks about an old friend who betrayed her. Sam smiles thankfully and she whispers to Jade that she’s a good friend too.
In Jade’s experience thus far, Sam is a good listener and a good friend—the reader learns far more about Jade than they do about Sam from the girls’ conversations. However, this might also mean that Jade isn’t as good of a friend as Sam implies here, as Jade doesn’t ask her as many questions in return.
Themes
