Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Vanishing Half, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Race and Identity
Loss, Memory, and Inheritance
Companionship, Support, and Independence
Class and Privilege
Summary
Analysis
Jude becomes an usher so that she can get closer to Kennedy, working at the theater in the hopes of eventually meeting Stella. She and Kennedy develop a casual friendship, but Reese disapproves. He worries that Jude will get hurt, thinking nothing good will come from learning about Stella and her life as a wealthy white woman. Still, Jude spends as much time as possible with Kennedy, chatting with her while she gets ready each night for the show. Kennedy explains that her mother still hasn’t come to see her in the musical because she disapproves. When Jude asks Kennedy what her mother’s upbringing was like, Kennedy says that Stella grew up in a poor white family, that she was an only child, and that her parents are dead.
The fact that Reese worries about Jude tracking down Stella emphasizes just how much he cares about her. Although he undoubtedly recognizes that it’s important to Jude that she find a way to connect with her estranged aunt, he feels protective of her and doesn’t want her to end up getting hurt—after all, Stella actively chose to leave her past behind, so it’s unlikely that she’ll be thrilled to see Jude if they ever end up meeting.
Themes
