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
Maxine takes Jade to the Esplanade, a pedestrian path that runs along the river. Jade takes photos as they walk and they sit down on a bench. Jade tells Maxine that she’s been thinking about being stitched together and coming undone. She asks Maxine if she ever feels that way too. Jade is surprised when Maxine says that when she went to St. Francis, most kids thought she was on scholarship just because she was black. She says she got tired of people assuming things, and of people expecting her to have all the answers when something about race came up. She says that she loved St. Francis but that it wasn’t perfect.
This conversation helps Jade see that Maxine has to deal with some of the same racist assumptions that she does. This continues to humanize Maxine in Jade’s eyes, and it also makes Maxine into a more relatable and powerful mentor. Because Jade now knows that they share these important experiences, she’s more likely to look to Maxine for ways to get around or deal with these instances of racism.
Themes
Maxine says that when she was in elementary school, she heard Mr. Winters tell his black real estate clients to take down their art and photos. He never said that to white families, and it taught her to hide her blackness. She admits that she was always embarrassed to have friends over because her house is so black. Maxine says she grew up proud of black people, but she was also told all the time that she should hide her blackness—and sometimes, she had to prove that she was “black enough.” Jade thinks that she’s wrongly assumed Maxine had it easy.
The implication here is that even though Maxine learned to hide her blackness from a young age, she, like Jade, wants to celebrate it. This is a major turning point for Jade, as she has to confront the fact that she made assumptions about Maxine, just like Maxine made assumptions about her. Now, they can both practice listening and being open and curious with each other, which will make them better friends.
Themes
Jade asks Maxine what she’s thinking about, and Maxine replies that she’s remembering how her grandmother used to say it’s good to talk. She always called it “bearing witness,” and she’d spend hours with her friends talking and talking. Maxine says that as a kid, she didn’t get it since the women never solved anything—but now, she thinks it’s valuable to talk simply so that someone else knows your story. According to her grandmother, that’s how people heal.
Just as Maxine suggests that talking is an effective way to share one’s story, the novel itself does much the same thing on a larger scale. Readers have the opportunity to bear witness to Jade’s pain and struggles, and they can see that she’s not just a poor black girl. It does her a disservice to see only her race or her poverty.
Themes
