Through the process of learning and understanding the way of life, many people would often face difficulties and complexities to find different ways through their obstacles. A few examples could be feeling sorrowful after losing a loved one, or even as simple as struggling on school assessments. These situations would often bring despair or frustration, feeling as if the problem cannot be solved, and that it would affect our lives forever.
In the novel, The Hate U Give, written by Angie Thomas, demonstrates similar events that show the main character, Starr Carter, finding her way through adversity. The novel portrays a range of events that shows Starr searching for the good, while struggling to escape from the bad after experiencing a tough situation. The events are often shown by the use of imagery, different tones, and dialogues, giving the readers a clearer idea of how Starr feels as she tries to recollect and find the light in the darkness.
One of the events shown in the novel, conveying how Starr had found light in the darkness, is when after she had witnessed one of her best friends, Khalil, dying, due to police brutality. Although she felt melancholic and mournful after Khalil’s death, she still decided that it is best for her to not stay silent; to get justice for Khalil after the incident that had happened. There were movements and protests that she had spoken out in, in order for the society to gain awareness about the actions that the police had done to Khalil.
“Once upon a time there was a hazel-eyed boy with dimples. I called him Khalil. The world called him a thug.
He lived, but not nearly long enough, and for the rest of my life I’ll remember how he died.
Fairy tale? No. But I’m not giving up on a better ending.” (Thomas 436).
Angie Thomas had used imagery and Starr’s internal dialogues, showing that although she had just recently lost someone who she had a close relationship to, she is hopeful that she can create a better ending instead of focusing on the negative events that had happened. The quote portrays an optimistic tone, which shows that Starr is positive and determined to get a better ending, doing her part to spread awareness about Khalil and his death. The purpose of Thomas conveying Starr’s internal dialogues through the use of the different devices is for the readers to be able to understand better about how Starr feels, letting the readers connect to the main character, as well as the themes shown throughout the novel. Overall, this quote is relevant to the main topic, about how Starr has been trying to find the light in the darkness, by staying positive and optimistic, and doing anything she could to serve justice for Khalil.
