Extended essay

Subject: English Literature (Category 1)

Police brutality, socialization, and the female narrative

Research Question: How does Angie Thomas use symbols and characterization to develop the
theme of racial socialization?

Personal Code: hym827

Supervisor: Linda Gambe
Session: November 2020

Word count: 4000

Citation Style: MLA
Introduction

The young adult novel, The Hate U Give (THUG) by Angie Thomas, was published in 2017 as a

response to the shooting of Oscar Grant. Thomas had initially written it as a short story,

however, Thomas realized that there were few black, female narratives on the effects of police

brutality, and a social justice system garnered against minorities. The novel is heavily influenced

by Tupac Shakur’s mantra– The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everyone. THUG follows

teenager Starr and her battle with identity and what it means to be black following the death of

her childhood friend, Khalil. Her decision whether to speak up or remain silent becomes a motif

in the novel suggesting that silence is a means of control. Thomas shows how the different

perspectives in Starr’s life have a significant role in her decision making. This is depicted through

racial socialization - intended to equip children as a tool of positive reinforcement against

deconstructive criticism. Racial socialization was coined as a way of targeting internalized racism

and inferiority messages in non-white youth. In the novel, racial socialization is developed

through the use of symbols, inter-textuality and characterization. These help invoke a response

from the audience from the use of racial slurs to music, art and poetry. In developing Starr from

a timid, dishonest character to a bold female lead, Thomas effectively manages to advance the

theme of racial socialization.

Symbols such as Garden Heights, Maverick’s roses and one-fifteen are the recurring images

especially in times of trial in Starr’s journey and it’s in these symbols that racial socialization and

positive messages on race and identity are built. These symbols are made effective through the

use of intertextuality with reference to Tupac Shakur and TLC. Characterization is explored

through micro-aggressions through her interactions with her white peers.

Garden Heights as a symbol is used to develop the theme of racial socialization

Garden Heights; a neglected, poor and mostly black neighborhood plays a significant role in

building racial socialization. Garden Heights is the first place of significance in the protagonist's

life that we are situated in, this way Thomas is already bringing out the importance of

environment and the role it plays in raising children and in reinforcing ideas, values, and

stereotypes. Garden Heights plays a central role in Starr's underlying confusion when it comes to

deciding whether she should speak up or let the systemic roots of racism further implant

themselves on yet another shooting. It is one of the two worlds that Starr finds herself within

and without, providing a sort of double vision (Young, 2018). In many respects Garden Heights

can be seen as a synecdoche through the representation of the situations of the children of

Garden heights; forced to flourish in unfavorable conditions. Thomas purposefully uses Garden

Heights as a recurring symbol throughout the novel as a way of addressing the African proverb

"it takes a village to raise a child", it’s extensively symbolic as it emphasizes that children, like

plants, need to be taken care off (Young, 2018).

Despite the positive affirmations built into the concept of Garden Heights through its

name and street names such as Carnation and Magnolia –it’s difficult to ignore the harsh

conditions that are present in Garden heights from gang violence and police brutality. Magnolia,

for example, represents femininity and the power which women possess (Treesymbolism.com,

2018) – feminism is skillfully entangled into THUG due to Thomas’ inspiration from the 90s girl

group TLC: according to Thomas, TLC started being “black feminists before black
feminists” (Vassell, 2018) were even talked about. "They spoke for what they believed in and

never backed down” (Vassell, 2018). They are an important inspiration as our first impression of

Starr is one of a girl uncertain of who she is and what she stands for. At its core THUG is very

much about code-switching and whether one should adhere to the social protocols of their

environment. It’s one of the reasons that it’s seen important for one to look at the feminist

movement in relation to Garden heights as although Garden heights has a certain “street

reputation” to uphold there is an element of it that rebels against its environment - depicting the

multiple social identities of an environment, which may be a reflection of the conflict Starr feels

being someone that is not the purest reflection of her environment but greatly influenced by it.

The Magnolia allows for Thomas to emphasize the importance of the female narrative in

deconstructing racism, however, it simultaneously depicts Starr's longing for clarity, purity, and

control over her life and decisions. Carnation, similarly signifies purity (Fresh, 2016) and it is on

this street that Khalil is shot dead, left “abandoned” (Thomas, 2017). Before Khalil is shot there is

a basic understanding of his living conditions - with his mother that has left him for drugs,

allowing for him to be consumed by the hollowness and moral corruption of Garden Heights. In

this way Thomas depicts Khalil’s shooting as sheer disappointment in the failure of a society to

take care of a child, coming as a reactionary group of activists rather than preventive and

proactive.

These streets become a focal point in protests throughout the novel being referenced a

total of 12 times, being referred to as the “busiest street[s] in Garden heights” (Thomas, 102).

Both the magnolia and carnation flower have quite a long, mythical and allusive history showing

their endurance, perseverance and resistance. Hence, when Garden heights is analyzed and
evaluated concerning the symbolism held within it and with the contrast of the reality of Garden

heights taken into account we can closely link it to a work of Tupac Shakur, The Rose That Grew

in the Concrete, the rose being the children and the concrete being Garden heights and the

"crack" referenced in the poem being the hope that many in the ghetto hold onto. Garden

heights is not only a symbol of the urgency for racial socialization but rather works as an agent of

socialization addressing issues of violence, and brutality - availing itself through a façade of hope

and goodwill. It is for this reason that Maverick, despite being financially stable enough to leave

the ghetto, chooses to stay as it equips his children with the reality of being black in present-day

America rather than letting them be whitewashed by propaganda aimed to justify black suffering

under law enforcement. Garden Heights, although a representation of a garden, is a garden filled

with thorns and difficulties that children, like plants, struggle to grow and thrive in (Shakur,

1999). It is for this reason that it works as an effective symbol for Thomas to use to build racial

socialization as the idea behind it is reinforcing positive affirmations in a stifling environment

such as Garden Heights. It acts as a symbol of environments such as social media - which tend to

pass colorist messages making dark skinned girls feel as though their color isn’t beautiful hence

are equipped with the necessary social skills to stand up and fight against injustice, racism and

colorism.

Maverick’s roses and their symbolic significance to the theme of racial socialization

Although Garden Heights alludes to many floral subjects, there is little greenery beyond

Maverick's garden of rose bushes – Maverick's rose bushes are first introduced to us when Starr

has a flashback to when her friend Natasha is shot dead. Maverick emphasizes how the only way

a garden can be maintained is through conversation, “nurturing the flowers” (Shakur, 1999) as
they feed off what they are given. His garden can be seen as a metaphor for how he raises his

children – making conversation an integral part of their relationship. In this way when his garden

starts dying he can immediately sense that he has stopped nurturing and caring for it and it is

time for intervention and conversation. This leads up to the conversation they have around the

THUG life mantra. The conversation is an element of growth to Maverick and thus he must keep

an open dialogue with his children. Although the title is explained early on in the novel, the most

significant conversation is between Starr and her father – this is where we see racial socialization

being built. An important aspect that is highlighted in this dialogue is that conversation is a two-

way mode of communication by using statements such as “I know. I wanna hear what you think”

(Thomas, 112) making it clear that he values the opinions of his children and hence gives them

the confidence to speak up for themselves and against injustice.

Although Maverick prompts conversation, he allows for his children to have an opinion

and focuses his efforts on them using inductive reasoning to conclude their ideas. Looking at the

conversation around THUG LIFE Starr comes to terms with it being a system rather than a

concept – where the hate isn't simply racism (Thomas, 2017) and neocolonialism but rather the

“lack of opportunities” (Thomas, 2017) and “little infants” not simply referring to children but

rather minorities and oppressed that are seen as a threat yet still “get the short end of the stick”.

In this way by allowing for free and open conversation Maverick has nurtured his flower.

Thomas intentionally picked roses not only because they are hard to grow, but because it

branches off Tupac’s THUG LIFE into another artistic piece; a poem title The Rose that Grew

from Concrete (Shakur, 1999). This poem is broadly interpreted as a means of celebrating the

success stories of black children that grew up in unfavorable conditions – but like Tupac– find
themselves inspiring and influencing the younger generations and leading to a revolt in which

“the oppressed” are educated, like the slave rebellion of 1831 that saw the death of at least 51

white people – killing the system. Thomas uses this reference in this dialogue to show just how

long minorities have been suffering at the hands of white supremacists. There is a connection

between the roses and family that is established – this connection is highlighted when Starr and

Seven play basketball outside during a violent riot to their parents’ disapproval. Maverick turns

his frustration against his children to the rose bushes saying “you can do better.” The roses move

with them when they move to their new neighborhood – when Starr asks whether they will be

fine, Maverick says that they “a lil damaged, but alive…putting them in new soil is like hitting a

reset button.” Starr too is damaged by seeing the death of her friend Khalil, and this move to a

new neighborhood, new soil, suggests a new beginning for her, allowing her and her family to

move forward. The roses thus also represent how opportunity—and the lack thereof—affects

people’s lives, and how those with rich soil are more likely to thrive (Shakur, 1999).The act of

building upon racial socialization moves away from being a focus around Starr but rather on us

as readers. In many respects Thomas is asking us; can we move away from racism and white

supremacy if we don't talk about it? ("Crash": Rhetorically Wrecking Discourses of Race,

Tolerance, and White Privilege, 2007) The parenting skills that Maverick takes on encourage

growth and evolution - it is in this way that he helps Starr clear her confusion leading her to

testify against one-fifteen as she becomes aware that it is indeed #JustUsForJustice as the

systems put in place do not favor the minorities but rather work to meet the selfish needs of an

imbalanced social justice system, which protects perpetrators of the law due to white-
privilege. Like the rose and Garden heights - our conditions may not be favorable but with

nurture, time and guidance we grow out of the “concrete” (Shakur, 1999)

The symbol of one-fifteen and how it is used to advance the theme of racial socialization

White privilege is a narrative that has continued to raid the media and justify the heinous acts of

white supremacists. White privilege is horrifically embedded into American history through

slavery, supremacists groups like the Ku Klux Klan and in modern-day America in the presence of

police brutality. In The hate U Give we see white privilege manipulate the narrative, making

officer One-fifteen the victim. Nearly not enough headlines could be structured and

deconstructed until society addresses the issue; until it is addressed that 200 plus years of

slavery and unequal rights cannot be forgotten through the signing of legislation. White privilege

and police brutality stem out of more than just systemic racism but rather a deep-rooted

systemic moral corruption (Chang, 2018). This is what Thomas addresses in her novel, THUG. She

questions the very essence of law and morality when privilege comes to play, prompts us to

think of what can be done when the justice system fails, when officer One-fifteen, a symbol of

racism in the justice system, is protected from the repercussions of killing another innocent black

child.

Although Starr learns the officer’s name, Brian Cruise, she still refers to him as One-

fifteen this is because Thomas is highlighting that the death of innocent black children in the

hands of officers isn’t because of the officer but because of the criminalization of black youth;

this allows for the weaponizing of black stereotypes which in turn allow for the justification of
the use of violence and terror. These stigmatisms of race protect white communities and allow

for the perpetuation of discrimination (Chang, 2018). The number 115 usually connotes new

beginnings as something may not work out as planned (Angelnumber.org, 2014). For Starr it can

be considered to mean a redefinition of her identity and what being black truly entails. Unlike

most kids in Garden Heights, Starr gets light-skin privilege which although not as prominent as

white privilege permits her to be excused when it comes to stereotyping black people – this sees

her desperately trying not to appear to be “ghetto” and the “angry black girl” (W, 2020) at her

school as she has a reputation to uphold.

Starr often finds that the two identities she upholds often clash as they are extremes of

one another; it’s in this that Angie Thomas builds racial socialization and the role of media. The

media selling places like Garden Heights as lost causes- ridden with poverty, crime and violence.

Maverick, on the other hand, sees the redeemable qualities in Garden heights and accentuates

the need to fix such communities from within (Young, 2018) – just like he was reformed from

king lord to business owner. The media works inexplicably hard to disguise racism in One-fifteens

actions as justified and reasoned – and tries heavily to invoke pity towards the officer, in doing

this it stresses heavily on Khalil's gang connections further propagating a stereotype of black

men as instigators of violence and crime (Johnson and Neville, 2018). Thomas in this emphasizes

how the media creates a sense of confusion and disembodiment prioritizing the protection law

enforcement over black lives and thus preserving stereotypes as “the system’s still giving hate,

and everybody’s still getting fucked” (Thomas, 114). One-fifteen goes to show why even when

the system fails the people “will continue rioting until it changes”- showing how when positive
affirmations of a minority group are passed through generations there is a resilience and

perseverance instilled in them to fight against injustice.

Overall, symbols become a significant factor in helping Thomas build the theme of racial

socialization as they become her main ideas to critiquing systems and sparking conversation on

racial literacy within black communities. The THUG LIFE system moves away from being an

acronym denoting "The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everyone", but rather represents the

struggle of "the oppressed" – all minorities – who have fallen victim to a system sworn against

them. The stereotypes and the vicious, cyclic nature of the THUG LIFE system thus allow for

micro-aggressions to seep their way into societies as overt racism is publicly denounced.

Characterization and the use of micro-aggressions

Micro-aggressions are referred to as passive racism whether unintentional or intentional.

Thomas uses micro-aggressions to develop the character of Hailey. The one thing that is

important in the characterization of Hailey is that she is unaware and complicit in a culture that

has normalized the generalization of minorities. It’s in this development that makes the novel

more relatable as Thomas highlights the norms of today’s society. The attitude that privileged

groups remain surprised by their racism and that minorities are continually disappointed by this

as the targeting of everyday racism has been invalidated through the narrative that the civil

rights movement was “won” and this has led to a tolerance and disregard of “mild racism”.

This sort of racism is predominantly expressed through Williamson Prep and Garden

heights as bi-products of systemic racism. With Starr and Seven being the only P.O.C in
Williamson there’s an unavoidable need for them to prove that they are not less and thus feel

ashamed to be authentic. Starr finds that in both of her worlds she is either “not black enough”

or people think she is pretentious as she now “go[es] to that school” (Thomas, 2017) and

consequently they “think that [she is] all that” (Thomas, 2017). Micro-assault has Starr question

whether “either version[s]” of her are “enough” as she is invalidated. Another characteristic of

micro-assault is avoidant behavior; this behavior is depicted through most characters but is most

apparent in the dynamics of Starr’s relationship with Hailey. Their relationship begins to unravel

once Hailey unfollows Starr’s Tumblr it’s revealed that she unfollows Starr because she “didn’t

want to see that shit…all that ‘black stuff’” (Thomas, 2017). Hailey is not the one that reveals this

to Starr but rather their mutual friend, Maya. Before this moment Hailey and Starr have been

avoidant of the situation hoping that it’ll eventually be forgotten.

This is significant in building the theme of racial socialization showing how the conflict of

being black in a white society can invalidate, belittle and depreciate the experience of being

black. The lack of understanding that an individual’s power and position are determined by

privilege and disadvantage, rather than ability are developed through the stereotype that is

Hailey. In THUG, micro-assaults bring to question one's identity, which is something Williamson

Starr struggles with immensely. Identity and blackness to Starr see her being torn apart as she

changes her speech, mannerisms and style to fit each environment. Consequently, its seen that

Williamson Starr feels "too black" to speak to her friends about the death of her friend Khalil in

the fear that they will not understand what happens in Garden Heights and "too white" to stand

up for Khalil at home, especially when it has been pointed out to her that she tends to portray

herself as better than others (Sparknotes.com, 2018).

 Thomas draws much of the novel from her personal experience in college, making it

more effective. The use of micro-insult as communication that conveys rudeness to make

someone aware of their difference as perpetrators and "demean [the] racial heritage and

identity” (Sue, 2010) of a person. As Thomas is trying to open discussions on racial issues she

purposefully makes racial critiques on characters explicitly, however, the characters are in denial.

The power of words is explored through lyrics, poetry and dialogue. A majority of the

triggering dialogue that Starr has are with Hailey in which her racism is exposed. From a "fried

chicken" (Thomas, 2017) comment on assuming the criminal status of Khalil as a drug dealer. The

fried chicken comment perpetuates a stereotype of African-Americans that reminds Starr that

she is different to her peers, a comment that reminds her that even after she leaves the "slang

[speaking] … 'angry black girl' image" (Thomas, 2017) as Williamson Starr is “non-

confrontational” (Thomas, 2017) that that is who she will always be no matter how hard she

tries.

In many respects, this gives Starr as the narrator a double vision being within and without

the situation, although this has worked to question the credibility of her narration it works in

favor of Thomas as she builds the theme– it highlights the confusion that black youth go through

and how their identity often becomes an object of ridicule and creates a racial dysmorphia as

children then begin to try and eradicate the characteristics and personality traits that are

associated with a race. These stereotypes especially in minority groups can lead to the

assumption of criminal status. Taking a look at circular media Latinos tend to be cast as criminals

involved in the Cartel, Asians tend to be hackers and P.O.C. tend to be criminals, and

perpetrators of violence. Starr is thus characterized as someone who is geared to question

existing stereotypes. Although many stereotypes are explored throughout the novel they are not

intended to simply highlight the negative aspects of the black community in America but rather

are put in place to help us and privileged groups understand why these stereotypes exist.

These pejorative stereotypes thus lead to the generalization of the behaviors of a race –

the impact of this leads to low self-esteem and casting self as a second class citizen (W, 2020).

Assumption of criminal status especially in regards to Khalil is very apparent in THUG and again

we see Hailey at the forefront accentuating these stereotypes. To the white society it does not

matter that he was a "suspected" drug dealer rather what they hear is that he was a "drug

dealer", Starr makes a comment to this saying that "it [didn't] matter that he's suspected of

doing it. "Drug dealer" is louder than "suspected" ever will be." (Thomas, 2017).The disregard of

the fact that he was killed for checking up on his friend is an absolute tragedy – the fact that

black youth get criminalized for being black creates urgency for racism to be addressed – for

silence to be broken as it is #JustUs4Justice.

Conclusion

Thomas uses symbols and characterization to effectively illustrate the impact of family, peers

and society – especially when it comes to making decisions. Although we see the positive effects

of racial socialization– Thomas has the readers step out of the novel and ask the important

questions: How can we reach a resolution that benefits all? Why have we normalized violence?

Due to our denial that racism still exists societies have found a way to justify systemic violence.

Every day African-Americans, like Starr, Seven and Khalil are reminded what it means to be black
in America. Where the black population is criminalized– an attitude that is perpetuated and

maintained through #BBQBecky, #PermitPatty and #CornerstoneCaroline that call on police

when black people are going about daily life. Racial socialization answers the question of what

we are addressing, where we are addressing it, why we addressing it and most importantly how

we plan on addressing it. Thomas ensures that she’s not only opening up a platform for

discussing racism and judiciary systems but provides a solution too, built through symbols and

characterization; the positive reinforcement to deconstructing negative stereotypes – racial

socialization.
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