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Chapter 3
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Piecing Me Together, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Intersectionality, Identity, and Discrimination
The Power of Language
Mentorship, Opportunity, and Dignity
Friendship
Summary
Analysis
The girl from the bus is in Mr. Flores’s Spanish class too. The class divides up into pairs and Jade ends up with Kennedy, whom she calls “Glamour Girl” because she’s always fixing her hair or makeup. Glamour Girl digs in her purse looking for a pen and she pulls out lots of things, including a tin of peppermints. Jade’s stomach growls, embarrassing her since “big girls” can’t have stomachs that growl. Glamour Girl passes the mints around and the tin finally reaches Jade. There are only fragments left, but Jade takes two halves. She wishes she was Glamour Girl’s friend, as then she might’ve gotten a whole mint.
Jade introduces another aspect of her identity here when she describes her shame and embarrassment about being an overweight person who’s hungry. Because Jade is bigger than others around her, she feels like she has to conduct herself in a certain way—which in turn implies that people look at Jade and they believe she must think or act in certain ways because of her weight. Even if Jade brushed off Mom’s desire that she make a friend, she shows here that she does want to make more friends at St. Francis.
Themes
After class, Jade goes straight to Mrs. Parker’s office and she takes a Jolly Rancher. They briefly smile over the photos of Mrs. Parker’s grandsons in her office, but when Jade sees a photo of them wearing Winterhawks gear with the Native American mascot, she wonders how Mrs. Parker can manage to not care about wearing a stereotype like that. She offers Jade some of her free tickets and Jade silently wonders why people who can afford things get so many free things. Then, Mrs. Parker turns to business: she asks Jade what she wants. Jade doesn’t respond but she thinks that she wants to go on the study abroad program and to speak Spanish everywhere, especially in job interviews where knowing a second language is an asset. Mrs. Parker tells Jade that she doesn’t have to answer now and she hands Jade a folder.
Because Jade is the narrator, the reader gets a front row seat to all the things that Jade thinks but doesn’t say. This makes it clear that even though Jade loves language (especially Spanish), she doesn’t make a habit of using her first language to ask for things she wants. Because Jade doesn’t speak up, it’s understandable that no one knows what she wants—it’s not even clear whether Jade has ever expressed to Mrs. Parker that the study abroad program is the reason Jade decided to attended to St. Francis. This lack of communication sets Jade up to experience disappointment when others don’t give her what she wants.
Themes
The photo on the folder depicts a group of adult and teenage black women, and the title reads, “Woman to Woman: A Mentorship Program for African American Girls.” Jade feels shattered, though Mrs. Parker looks thrilled as she describes what the program entails. She points to the list of planned excursions, which includes museum visits and a trip to the symphony. When Mrs. Parker asks Jade if she has questions, Jade wants to ask about the study abroad program. Instead, she asks why she was chosen. Mrs. Parker awkwardly cites several reasons, including “need.” Jade insists that she already has adults who care about her.
Though Jade has every right to ask about why she wasn’t chosen for the study abroad program, it’s likely that she thinks this question might be rude and it would therefore hurt her chances of receiving any other opportunities. Mrs. Parker’s answer to Jade’s other question, however, shows that Mrs. Parker sees Jade only as a person in need of help and opportunities, and she likely doesn’t see Mom as an appropriately involved parent either.
Themes
Mrs. Parker responds that people in Jade’s circumstances are statistically at risk for “certain things” and she reiterates that this is a good opportunity. Jade feels like opportunities are stalking her and she asks what happens if she doesn’t participate. Mrs. Parker says that if Jade does complete the program, she’ll receive a scholarship to any Oregon college. Mrs. Parker quietly shares that her son-in-law grew up in Jade’s neighborhood and that he now is still trying to adjust to life in predominately white and wealthy Lake Oswego. She also tells Jade that the woman who will be her mentor went to St. Francis and she just graduated from Portland State University. Grudgingly, Jade accepts and she fills out an information form. One question asks what she wants out of the program, but Jade leaves it blank.
Learning about the scholarship might make the choice to participate in Woman to Woman obvious for Jade, but this doesn’t mean that Jade won’t be upset about how this is playing out. It looks to her like Mrs. Parker is nominating her for Woman to Woman instead of helping her go on the study abroad trip, something that makes Jade feel like Mrs. Parker is only considering “certain things” about her—namely, her race and socioeconomic status. However, Jade still feels uncomfortable using her voice to raise concerns about this or advocate for herself, further evidenced by the fact that she doesn’t write what she wants out of the program.
Themes
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