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
Jade writes her New Year’s resolutions in black on top of a background of scripture, newspaper headlines, and calendars. She wants to be the best possible version of herself: bold, brave, beautiful, and brilliant.
The words Jade uses to define herself show again how she’s working hard to piece together an identity that doesn’t insist she’s just black, female, and poor.
Themes
Ever since Jade’s chat with Maxine, Maxine has made more of an effort to spend time with Jade. Tonight, they’re hanging out at Maxine’s apartment with a few of Maxine’s friends. Jade loves Maxine’s apartment, which is open-concept and has lots of black and white architectural photos and matching furniture. Bailey and Kira arrive, greet Jade, and then immediately ask what’s up with Jon. As they grill Maxine, Jade stuffs her mouth with pretzels and she learns that Jon recently cheated on Maxine and that he spent their entire two-year relationship asking for money and using Maxine’s car. Kira and Bailey also point out that Jon didn’t just lose his job: he was fired for regularly showing up late and high. With a sigh, Maxine tells Jade to find friends who will keep her from making mistakes. Jade says that none of her friends or Mom would’ve let her date a guy like Jon.
Jade’s interest in Maxine’s trim and organized apartment makes it clear that Jade really wants to learn how to reach a point in her life where she can afford to rent something like this—something that Woman to Woman doesn’t seem like it’s going to teach her how to do. While this is a shortcoming of the program, it’s also worth remembering that Jade chose not to fill in what she’d like out of the program on the initial form. This may be as much a matter of Jade not advocating for herself as it is of Woman to Woman offering questionable programming.
Themes
Maxine seems both offended and surprised and she insists that she’s trying to move on. Jade asks Bailey and Kira about their college experiences. They talk until after dark, and then Maxine orders pizza. Jade is sure it’s going to taste bad when Maxine suggests tofu instead of chicken. The conversation turns to Portland State’s performance of The Vagina Monologues. Kira laments that they’ll never do for colored girls and Jade asks what The Vagina Monologues is about.
Bailey and Kira get to act as extra mentors to Jade, as they bring slightly different experiences to the table. In this sense, introducing Jade to her friends is one of the best things Maxine can do for Jade, as she’s helping Jade create a community of caring adults who can and will look out for her in the future.
Themes
Maxine’s eyes get wide, and she, Kira, and Bailey argue if Jade is old enough to talk about sex. The pizza arrives and as Jade eats (the pizza isn’t as bad as she feared), she wonders if this is what it’d be like to have older sisters. Quietly, Kira tells Jade that she’ll talk to her about sex if she wants, but Maxine says Jade isn’t like “those girls.” Jade knows Maxine is talking about girls from Jade’s neighborhood, and she hates how Maxine makes her feel like she needs to be saved.
It’s worth keeping in mind that Maxine’s “those girls” comment is even more offensive because Mom was one of “those girls,” since she had Jade at age 16. This doesn’t make Mom a bad or lesser person, however, something that Maxine seems to not understand. Maxine is, in this case, looking at teens who have sex and get pregnant as wholly bad, rather than seeing them as multifaceted individuals—a judgment that’s particularly hypocritical given Maxine’s own questionable romantic choices.
Themes
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