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Chapter 5
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
A few days later, a girl named Daphne confronts and attacks Maleeka for kissing Daphne’s boyfriend, Worm. Maleeka doesn’t admit that it was actually Charlese who was kissing Worm. Charlese is also in the hallway, but she doesn’t step in as she watches Daphne grab hold of Maleeka’s braids and punch her.
Again, while Maleeka is theoretically friends with Charlese, here Charlese proves that she has no intention of actually supporting or protecting Maleeka—she only looks out for herself and takes advantage of others.
Themes
When Maleeka starts to fight back, Miss Saunders comes in to break up the fight. However, when Miss Saunders grabs hold of Maleeka, Daphne smacks Maleeka across the face and then shoots snot all over her shirt. Miss Saunders tries to help clean Maleeka up as Mr. Pajolli, the principal, grabs Daphne, but Maleeka furiously backs away. Maleeka tells Mr. Pajolli that Miss Saunders doesn’t know what she’s doing. Mr. Pajolli has another student escort Maleeka to the nurse’s office, while Maleeka wonders when Miss Saunders will leave her alone.
Maleeka’s anger at Miss Saunders is ironic, because Miss Saunders was trying to be helpful while Charlese was anything but. Maleeka doesn’t yet recognize that the best solution to bullying is to find people who are actively trying to support her (like Miss Saunders) rather than those who allow her to be beaten up on their behalf (like Charlese).
Themes
