In the novel The Hole U Give, author Angie Thomas exhibits that a lot of times we lose sight of who we are and act differently because of the people we surround ourselves with. By showing Starr‘s struggles in Williamson because of her race, Thomas demonstrates that the fear of how people will see you can lead to you acting differently. There are many ways that the essential question “How do we engage in spaces with others who hold different perspectives” is presented in The Hate U Give. The first is shown when we see Starr enter Williamson for the first time in the book. On page 71. she feels like she must act differently around the people in her school because of the racial difference. ” Ijust have to be normal Starr at normal Williamson and have a normal day. That means flipping the switch in my brain so I’m Williamson Starr. Williamson Starr doesn’t use slang _. if a rapper would say it, she doesn’t say it, even if her white friends do Slang makes them cooli Slang makes her “hood”.
Williamson Starr holds her tongue when people piss her off so nobody will think she’s the “angry black girl” Williamson Starr is approachable. No Stank-eyes, side-eyes, none of that. Williamson Starr is nonconfrontational. Basically, Williamson Starr doesn’t give anyone a reason to call her ghetto.” (Thomas 71) As stated from the quote Starr believes she has to “flip the switch” depending on who she’s with. The racial difference between her and her classmates makes Starr feel that if she didn’t change, she would be called the stereotypical black girl. Another great example of this is on page 11; “Funny how it works with white kids though. Its dope to be black until it‘s hard to be black.” (Thomas 11) White kids like and mimic the cultural African American trends. but when things get bad with racial injustice. they don’t want anything to do with it.
These feelings make Starr feel isolated and lonely because no one there can truly relate to what it’s like. By showing us this part of Starr‘s world where she feels vulnerable, Angie Thomas demonstrated that when engaging in spaces where others hold different perspectives, we can feel afraid to be ourselves and on your own Starr grows a lot throughout the book, and as she does, she finds herself questioning and wondering why she acts differently at Williamson and why she feels like she has to do just to be accepted. “I should be used to my two worlds colliding, but I never know which Starr I should be. I can use some slang, but not too much slang, some attitude, but not too much attitude, so I’m not a “sassy Black girl.” I have to watch what I say and how I say it, but I can’t sound “white.” Shit it’s exhausting.” (Thomas 357) Starr‘s constant need to be two different people depending on who she’s with and where she is has finally caught up to hen.
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She realizes that she shouldn’t have to do that just because of the fear of being called “ghetto” or the ‘sassy black girl”. “What‘s the point of having a voice if you‘re going to be silent in those moments you shouldn’t be.” (Thomas 252) Once again, we see that Starr finally realizes that she doesn’t want to be afraid anymore. She has a voice that’s meant to be heard and she‘s finally ready to use it despite what others that are different than her might think. Bailey and Starr are both very different people and as the book progresses, we see how sometimes being very close with people that don’t understand you can be difficult. Consequently, throughout the book. we see that there is tension between Starr and Hailey because of Hailey’s discriminatory actions. “She‘s lying. That’s not why she unfollowed you. She said she didn‘t want to see that shit on her dashboard (…) All the black stuff, she called it.”
This happens after the big argument between Hailey and Starr, Maya finally explains the truth to Starr about Hailey. Hailey and Starr hold very different perspectives as to what happened with Khalil and about people of color in general. This shows that a lot of times when engaging with people who hold different perspectives than you and refuse to try and understand can be frustrating and sometimes even disappointing However, at the end of the book, Starr proves to others, but also to herself that she isn‘t afraid anymore. She will use her voice to stick up for what‘s wrong and she won’t stay quiet any longer. “I can’t change where 1 come from or what I’ve been through, so why should I be ashamed of what makes me, me? That’s like being ashamed of myself” (Thomas 441) In this quote, Starr explains how she is done with having to act differently around her peers at Williamson in order to fit in. She doesn’t have to be ashamed.
In conclusion, the way we engage in spaces with others that hold different perspectives changes. Lots of times we can lose sight of ourselves to “fit in” and we might feel like we need to change who you are for others. Nevertheless, Starr shows great examples of growth and finding her identity as her character develops. Engaging in spaces with others who hold a different perspective can always be a challenge, but as The Hate U Give proves you can always overcome those challenges and find your confidence Many people can relate to how Starr feels in the real world. Feeling like you can use your voice because of other people. Starr helps show us that you don’t need to let it get to you. there are always going to be people who hold different perspectives than you but the way you engage with them is what matters.
