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Chapter 16
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Skin I’m In, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Bullying and Insecurity
Self-Esteem, Support, and Friendship
Writing and Self-Expression
The Importance of Role Models
Summary
Analysis
As soon as Maleeka gets to the street, two boys start following her. Maleeka tries to ignore them, but they catch up to her. One of them twists her hands behind her back, and the other asks her for a kiss, calling her a “pretty black thing.” Maleeka yells for them to let her go, but there’s no one else in the street. She starts crying and shaking her head, and she kicks the guy who’s holding her. He lets go of Maleeka, and she digs her fingernails into the other boy’s stomach. The second boy hits her in return and puts his hand over her mouth; Maleeka immediately bites down on him and won’t let go.
The incident with the boys adds complexity to the idea that Maleeka should be confident in her appearance. While Maleeka is made fun of at school for attributes that she views as ugly, she is also targeted by boys like this who think she’s pretty. In both circumstances, their assaults dehumanize her and prey on her insecurities, making Maleeka feel helpless and vulnerable.
Themes
Finally, Maleeka lets the boy go, and he starts loosening his belt with his good hand. Maleeka runs as fast as she can until she’s almost at her house. She sits down, shaking and crying. By chance, Sweets appears, and Maleeka tells her what happened. Sweets promises not to tell Maleeka’s mom and gives her a tissue to wipe her face. Sweets feels sorry for Maleeka, knowing that this happened because she had to go to Charlese’s. When Maleeka arrives home, she tells her mom that a few boys were picking on her, but she doesn’t go into detail. Her mom tells her to be careful, and Maleeka goes to bed without dinner and cries herself to sleep.
Maleeka’s escape from the boys’ assault demonstrates the deep toll that bullying and physical harassment take on her. Particularly because she doesn’t think that she can confide in her mother, Maleeka feels extremely isolated, vulnerable, and unprotected. However, she does have Sweets to help lift her spirits, once again underscoring the value of supportive friendships. Maleeka also begins to see the irony of her situation: she hangs out with Charlese for protection, but that friendship often puts Maleeka in even more dangerous situations.
Themes
