Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Small Island, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Manners and Civilization
Race and Prejudice
Redemption
Displacement and Belonging
Marriage and Women’s Roles
Summary
Analysis
Queenie is stunned to see Bernard arrive casually at the house, as if he’d never been gone. When she remarks caustically that he’s “been away a long time,” his only reply is “Indeed.” Queenie tells him that she’s going to require a much better explanation than that.
Bernard doesn’t seem to have changed much in his time away—he’s still terse and standoffish. On the other hand, years of independence have made Queenie much more outspoken and willing to demand the things she wants.
Themes
