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Chapter 24
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Becoming, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Optimism, Growth, and Fulfillment
Community, Investment, and Hard Work
Race, Gender, and Politics
Marriage, Parenthood, and Work
Power, Privilege, and Responsibility
Summary
Analysis
Barack and Michelle leave the White House on January 20, 2017, accompanying Donald and Melania Trump. They are determined to transition with “grace and dignity.” At the inauguration, Michelle sees that the “vibrant diversity” of the previous two inaugurations is no longer there, replaced by an “overwhelmingly white and male tableau.” Someone in Barack’s administration might have said that the optics were bad, that it didn’t reflect the president’s ideals—but Michelle realizes that the stage might exactly represent the new president’s ideals. Michelle stops trying to smile.
Michelle once again highlights how Donald Trump’s politics, unlike Barack’s, do not focus on inclusion and uplifting minority groups. Thus, the “optics” of his events return to the old, predominantly white and male standard of politics that has dominated America for so long. This is perhaps one of the only instances in which Michelle stops trying to appear hopeful and demonstrates the gravity of the situation.
Themes
Michelle is now in a new phase of life, released from any obligation as a political spouse. She is able to think differently about what comes next, and believes that she is still “in progress.” She writes that “becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim”; instead it is a way of reaching “continuously toward a better self.”
Michelle does clarify one thing: she will never run for political office. But, she writes, she still cares deeply about the future, and since Barack left office, she has been extremely distressed and frustrated at stories she’s read in the news. She won’t allow herself to become cynical, however, and reminds herself that optimism is a force that’s more potent than “any one election, or leader, or news story.”
Many people continue to recognize the power of Michelle’s own intelligence and capacity, and despite her explicit statement that she will not be running for political office, the power of her optimism continues to inspire people not to give up on progress for the country—even though, to her and many others, it feels as though the country is going backwards.
Themes
Michelle has seen optimism throughout her life, particularly in children. She writes that adults owe it to them to stay strong and continue to work towards a more humane world. She thinks about her portrait hanging in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, and how no one looking at her childhood could have ever guessed where she would end up. It matters most to her that young people can see her picture and have a different notion of what one must look like to be considered important.
Michelle recognizes the power, particularly for children, of being the first African American First Lady. Despite the many criticisms she endured along the way for both her race and gender, she understands that her and Barack’s trailblazing will endure much longer, and will perhaps provide an easier path for the next black president.
Themes
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Michelle concludes by writing, “I’m an ordinary person who found herself on an extraordinary journey.” She has spent her life trying to connect with people and hopes to continue to do so in sharing her story. Lastly, she asks readers to “invite one another in,” to let go of divisive stereotypes and biases, and to embrace the ways in which people are the same. “It’s not about being perfect,” she says, it’s about “where you get yourself in the end.” That is what becoming means to her.
Michelle concludes with one more call for optimism and hope—this time directly addressing her readers—to ask that they try to find a shared humanity between them, rather than maintaining harmful divides. This process, she says, is “becoming”—a word that is steeped in the belief that progress is never-ending.
Themes
