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Chapter 3
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The White Girl, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Colonial Violence
Dignity and Resilience
Loss
Love and Family
Power
Summary
Analysis
When she passes the junkyard the following Sunday, Odette notices that Henry has locked the gate and put up a new “Keep Out” sign. She talks with him on her return trip, learning that Aaron and George Kane tried to break in a few nights earlier. Apparently, they brought guns. Rowdy, Henry’s beloved dog, eventually ran them off. Odette is alarmed, but Henry assures her that he has a plan for defending himself. Would he shoot them? Odette inquires offhandedly. Henry replies that that is a good idea.
The care and concern for each other’s wellbeing that Henry and Odette share shows how love can—and should—transcend racial divisions. They know and care for each other as fellow human beings. Readers should note that Aaron appears undeterred by every sign of resistance Henry has made and in fact seems to be escalating his behavior in a dangerous way. It’s only a matter of time, Odette worries, until someone gets seriously hurt.
Active
Themes
The following Tuesday after school, Odette tears Sissy away from her library book and brings her to the junkyard. On the way, Sissy tells Odette her wildest birthday wish: to spend a year soaking in the bathtub with a White person to wash her hair, Odette to keep her company, and chocolate to eat.
Sissy’s simple idea of luxury suggests how little she and her grandmother have in terms of worldly goods, but it also exudes a childlike innocence. If everyone wanted so little for themselves, the world would be a better place. She does fantasize about having a White servant, a fact that suggests how deep of an impression her own marginalization has had on her.
Active
Themes
When Henry finally lets Odette and Sissy through the gate, Odette looks around in surprise. She’s never been inside the junkyard before. She sees some objects that she recognizes, however, like the stagecoach that used to bring White supervisors to the quarry—and that the mission used when it separated Aboriginal children from their families. Odette asks how Henry makes a living. He says a dealer from Gatlin comes by every few weeks and buys enough to keep Henry afloat, with a little left to fund his pet project: building a rocket ship like the one the Russians recently launched.
Active
Themes
Henry reveals the rehabilitated bicycle. Its tires don’t match but they’re freshly oiled and its frame is painted bright red. Sissy loves it. As she takes it for a wobbly test drive, Odette revisits the subject of Aaron and George Kane. She wants to know what Henry will do—really—if they come back. He says he trusts Rowdy to protect him, but he will take matters into his own hands if necessary. He has gunpowder and detonators he salvaged from the quarry. Odette warns him against violence, but he’s determined to protect the junkyard that is also his home.
Active
Themes
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