Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Skin I’m In, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Bullying and Insecurity
Self-Esteem, Support, and Friendship
Writing and Self-Expression
The Importance of Role Models
Summary
Analysis
Maleeka’s mom finds out what Maleeka did and hits her for the first time in Maleeka’s life. Maleeka is suspended at school, and all Maleeka’s mom does is cry. Maleeka’s mom tells Maleeka that she’s not going to learn anything if she tries to help Maleeka. She explains, “you gotta think that you worth saving, baby.” Maleeka has to pay $2,000 in damages, and her mom says that Maleeka has to figure a way out of her own mess. Maleeka starts crying, frustrated that her mom isn’t there for her when Maleeka supported her mom after her dad died.
Maleeka’s mom is adamant that Maleeka has to take responsibility for her actions and that Maleeka has to believe she’s “worth saving.” This suggests that Maleeka has the potential for a bright future if she believes in herself and stays out of trouble. At the same time, Maleeka’s criticism of her mother shows Maleeka’s side of the argument: while Maleeka was extremely supportive of her mother after her dad passed away, Maleeka’s mom isn’t modeling the same supportive behavior for her daughter.
Themes
Later that day, the phone rings: it’s Charlese. She asks if Maleeka is going to tell on her, because Charlese will get expelled if the school finds out she was involved. Maleeka explains that she shouldn’t get in trouble by herself. Charlese says that she’ll help Maleeka pay the money back to the school, and then she hangs up. Maleeka knows that Charlese is expecting her to keep her mouth shut. She writes in her diary that even if you can’t see an acorn growing, it’s still reaching for the sun. Maleeka wonders if this is true; she doesn’t feel any stronger or braver than she was a few weeks ago. She rips out the page and throws it away.
Even though Maleeka now has leverage in her and Charlese’s relationship, she understands that Charlese still thinks she’s weak and that she can be manipulated. Maleeka’s writing about the acorn implies that she’s wondering the same thing about herself—whether she’s growing braver or stronger. Ripping out the page indicates that Maleeka doesn’t feel braver or stronger; however, Maleeka has already shown herself to be braver in standing up to John-John, brushing off people bullying her about her hair, and signing up for the library competition.
Themes
