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Chapter 19
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Boy Overboard, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Immigration, Family, and Home
Identity and Ancestry
Hope
Gender and Discrimination
Summary
Analysis
Jamal thinks the smugglers are treating them badly. They’ve been waiting on a dock the entire night and have been given only one meal a day. Jamal’s dad looks worried but reassures Jamal that they are safe from Afghanistan’s government now. Still, Jamal thinks they won’t be safe until they get to Australia. He believes that if it lets girls play football, the government must be nice. There are two boats in the water, and Bibi keeps asking which one is theirs. Their mom looks annoyed, but she manages to keep her composure and offers to blow on Bibi’s rash to cool it off. Their dad tells them to be patient.
Jamal’s family is tense as they wait for the next stage of their journey to begin. Taxed by the stresses of their journey, everyone in the family struggles with their own problems, but they do their best to manage them for the sake of the others. Jamal’s parents, for instance, try to maintain a calm, positive attitude for the sake of Bibi and Jamal, even though they themselves are quite worried.
Themes
Jamal is worried they won’t all fit on the boats, but he reassures himself that they bought tickets. He distracts himself by looking at the boats and how large the ocean is, comparing it to the desert. Bibi asks when they can get on the boat, and Jamal takes her to practice football to give his parents a break. The other refugees watch in shock as Bibi practices, and Jamal is proud of her. Suddenly, the boy from the refugee camp tackles him and claims the ball is his. Jamal and Bibi argue, and Bibi starts yelling at the boy. The boy looks shocked at a girl acting that way and lunges at Jamal to steal the ball.
Though he is himself quite young, Jamal tries to support his parents by entertaining and watching over Bibi. This shows that, at least when it comes to his family, Jamal is not entirely naïve. Sensing that his parents need a break from Bibi, he takes it upon himself to distract her by playing football. In this way, Jamal takes on a pseudo-parental role.
Themes
While struggling with Jamal for the ball, the boy says they can have the ball if Bibi becomes his girlfriend. Bibi gives the boy a nasty look and kicks him in the leg. Jamal and the boy continue struggling over the ball, and the ball slips out of their grasp. Before the boy can grab it, Bibi kicks the ball. It flies over the compound fence and lands between the boat and the dock. Everyone gasps.
Again, Bibi’s righteousness and impulsiveness prove problematic. Though her unfaltering commitment to following her conscience is commendable, it often causes more problems than it solves, as is the case here. While the boy is wrong to steal Jamal’s ball and make jokes about dating Bibi, kicking the ball away only exacerbates the situation.
Themes
