The Hate U Give: Analysis of Chapter 10 and Themes of Black Identity
Analysis: Chapter 10
The police stop at the beginning of Chapter Ten illustrates how Khalil’s murder traumatized Starr. The flashbacks and panic are classic signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a mental condition commonly associated with soldiers returning from war. Starr’s PTSD symbolizes the long-term effects of violence on the emotional well-being of black children. That Starr has a condition associated with war means that police and gang violence turn black neighbourhoods into war-like zones. Moreover, Starr no longer believes Lisa’s words of comfort because Starr has lost her childhood belief in her parent’s ability to keep her safe. Starr knows that if the police stop turned violent, Lisa could not have protected her any better than Khalil, and the results would have been equally devastating. Starr’s awareness shows that black children are forced to realize their own vulnerability in the world and their parents’ inability to change that.
Maverick’s expanded understanding of Thug Life clarifies the links between the police and the gangs and reveals how they create an interconnected cycle of racialized poverty that destroys black neighbourhoods. Thomas named the novel after this cycle because it underpins Khalil’s death and the resulting fallout. When we look at Khalil’s story through Maverick’s framework, we understand that King trapped Khalil into drug dealing because Khalil lacked other economic options, while the police use Khalil’s drug dealing to justify shooting him. Maverick insists Starr cannot judge Khalil for not escaping this cycle because, without support or money, it is too strong to break. This conversation marks a turning point for Starr because it demonstrates the true cost of her silence. Khalil’s death, while a tragedy in its own right, is also part of a system that hurts her entire community. Starr realizes that her silence means complicity in this cycle.
Maverick’s story about leaving gang life reveals the difficulty of breaking the cycle of Thug Life, which sets up the challenges ahead for DeVante. Maverick had to sacrifice his freedom, losing time with Starr at a young age, to ultimately break free. That Maverick was forced to go to prison symbolizes how powerful the cycle is because he was separated from his children for three years, leaving them vulnerable. The juxtaposition between Maverick’s Thug Life lecture and his decision to help DeVante emphasizes that a support system is key to breaking the cycle. DeVante cannot escape alone because he is a teenager without resources and support, but Maverick can help him because he is a responsible adult. Significantly, Maverick asks Starr to teach DeVante how to use a pricing gun, foreshadowing the change in DeVante’s life because instead of using a gun as a weapon he has a gun as a tool.
The argument between Maverick and Lisa showcases the tension between political ideals and lived experience. Maverick’s ideals uplift and inspire, but they also carry real danger. Despite the beautiful parts of Garden Heights, it is a dangerous space because of Thug Life. Lisa acts as the voice of experience because she reminds Maverick that violence compromises their children’s safety and innocence, and their ability to have normal lives. In this chapter, Starr’s PTSD supports Lisa’s perspective. Maverick has not yet learned the balance between helping his neighbourhood and living out his ideals while protecting his family, another important part of his values. Lisa’s insistence that Maverick choose family over Garden Heights highlights the difficult choices black adults must make for their children due to systemic conditions of poverty and violence in their neighbourhoods.
One-Fifteen
Even after learning his real name is Brian Cruise, Starr thinks of the police officer who shot Khalil as One-Fifteen. By referring to him only by badge number, Starr reduces One-Fifteen to a symbol of racism in the system of law enforcement. This word choice makes a larger point that Khalil did not die because of One-Fifteen, but because of the way law enforcement criminalizes black youth. As One-Fifteen’s colleagues protect him, comforting him in the aftermath of the shooting and trying to distort Starr’s testimony during her first interview, it becomes clear that One-Fifteen’s behavior is condoned, or at least considered normal. Although Uncle Carlos eventually condemns One-Fifteen, the police institution does not, and initially does not want to prosecute him. One-Fifteen as an individual may have committed this crime, but he could have been any police officer who perpetrates violence against black communities. One-Fifteen is a statistic, a part of a violent system, and his name and story do not change the fact that he wrongfully killed Khalil.
Identity and Blackness
The Hate U Give explores the relationship between race and identity as Starr struggles to navigate the primarily black world of Garden Heights and the primarily white world of Williamson Prep. Starr feels pulled between her Garden Heights self and Williamson Prep self, and she switches her speech, mannerisms, and behaviours to fit whichever circumstance she finds herself in. After Khalil’s shooting, Starr is reluctant to speak about his death for fear that her friends, Hailey and Maya, and boyfriend, Chris, will not understand everything that happens in her Garden Heights world. Starr feels simultaneously “too black” to talk about Khalil’s life and death with her school peers, but “too white” at home to stand up for Khalil, especially after Kenya accuses Starr of acting like a white person who thinks herself better than her neighbours.
Starr’s identity conflict is evident in her father figures, Maverick and Uncle Carlos, who have different perspectives on authentic blackness. Maverick draws inspiration from the Black Power Movement and believes in a self-reliant blackness that uses existing structures within black neighbourhoods to improve conditions. Maverick’s philosophy explains why, throughout most of the novel, Maverick refuses to move his family from Garden Heights to a safer neighbourhood—he believes they should change their community from the inside. Uncle Carlos, with his job as a police officer and house in a gated community, represents assimilation into white culture. Uncle Carlos believes that he can support black communities by using white organizations like the police force to combat gang violence. The constant argument between Maverick and Uncle Carlos highlights how difficult it is for Starr to reconcile her two worlds and find a way to honour her whole self.