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Chapter 4
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
When Maleeka gets home, her mom takes her downtown to buy new clothing because she got a bonus at work. So, the next day, Maleeka is excited to “look like somebody” without Charlese’s help. She’s excited that all eyes are on her. But Charlese rudely says that it’s about time Maleeka’s mom broke down and bought her some new clothes.
Again, Charlese’s bullying not only targets Maleeka’s insecurity about her clothing but also her own insecurity about being liked. By implying that Maleeka never looks nice, Charlese is trying to lift herself up by comparison. Maleeka’s excitement about her clothes also demonstrates how much freer she feels when she confidence in herself, rather than being beholden to Charlese for her clothing.
Themes
That day, in English class, Miss Saunders partners Maleeka and another girl named Desda for a group project instead of letting the students choose their partners. Desda is short and fat and has won awards for her cooking, but she’s a very poor reader and writer. For the assignment, Miss Saunders asks the class to pretend that they’re teenagers living in the 17th century and to write a diary about their experiences. She says that she wants them to understand what it’s like to see the world though someone else’s eyes.
Miss Saunders gives the students this writing assignment to get them to think more empathetically, demonstrating writing’s power as a way of understanding other people, and the world around them, a little better. Additionally, in choosing the kids’ partners rather than letting them pair up, Miss Saunders is perhaps trying to split up Maleeka and Charlese, already recognizing how bad of an influence Charlese is on Maleeka.
Themes
At first, Maleeka and Desda do nothing for 10 minutes. But when Miss Saunders reminds them that they only have 20 minutes left, Maleeka gets to work. She writes about a teenage girl on a slave ship. The girl doesn’t have much to eat, and she’s embarrassed that a boy named Kinjari can see her sitting in her own filth with her head shaved. But when Kinjari stares at the girl, she wonders if she’s beautiful. She writes that “Beauty is where one finds it, my father used to say.” Then, the girl falls ill, and Kinjari is gone when she wakes up. Another girl, who’s been stealing the girl’s food, says that Kinjari was thrown overboard—but the girl doesn’t believe it. Maleeka signs the entry “Akeelma,” which is close to her name backwards.
Maleeka’s writing assignment has many parallels to her own life. Like Akeelma—whose name implies that she is a stand-in for Maleeka—Maleeka is concerned about being ugly and unlikeable. Kinjari mirrors Caleb, as he finds Akeelma beautiful regardless of how she views herself or how others view her. The girl who steals food likely represents Charlese. And even Akeelma’s reference to her father’s advice foreshadows Maleeka’s dad’s advice later in the book. Thus, the writing assignment not only becomes a creative outlet for Maleeka but also a way of understanding herself and those around her better.
Themes
Desda asks how Maleeka learned to “talk proper” like Akeelma does. Maleeka says that, before her dad died, he read her books with characters that spoke like that. Then, Miss Saunders collects and reads some of the stories to the class. When she reads Maleeka and Desda’s, she compliments them on the writing. After class, Miss Saunders offers to give Maleeka and Desda extra credit to keep doing the assignment. Desda admits that Maleeka did most of the writing, and Maleeka agrees to keep going. She thinks to herself that she actually likes the writing.
Here, Miss Saunders begins to play an important role as a guardian in Maleeka’s life. She recognizes and encourages Maleeka’s talent for writing in hopes of helping Maleeka live up to her full academic potential. And the fact that Maleeka chooses to continue the assignment illustrates how it’s a vital tool for her to understand herself and develop pride in her intellect.
Themes
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