The book I'm about to do my literature analysis on was not my first choice. I started off reading Memoirs of a Geisha (Which I had seen previously approved by another student) but ended up dropping the book when my attention was brought to another while I was in the library. Though the book was simple and short, it had properties that had spoken to me in various ways and I feel as if it should be shared. If this book is not approved, I will gladly choose a different book and do a different literature analysis.
1. The book I read is called "The Skin I'm In" by Sharon G. Flake. As stated earlier, though this book was a simple read and had a few flaws, it's theme tied to a personal struggled I had spent many years battling when I was younger. This book is about a girl named Maleeka who struggles with self confidence issues. She is constantly picked on and bullied by kids around town and at her school due to the complexion of her skin. Ever since her father had passed she has been surviving off of his social security money with her mother. Filled with grief and heartache, Maleekas mother began to sew all of Maleekas clothes. Due to her mother's lack of sewing skills, Maleeka was also picked on due to her clothing. This strays her to "befriend" a churlish and immature young girl named Charlese. She lends Maleeka clothes in exchange for her completed homework. As a result Maleeka begins to fail her classes due to the lack of time she has to do her own homework. Everything seems hopeless for her until a new teacher, Ms. Saunders, makes her way into Maleekas life. She suffers a skin condition that caused her many insecurities in her past. With her experience of what it's like to be the little guy, Mr. Saunders gives Maleeka some much needed tough love that will enable Maleeka to love the skin she's in.
2. Though I was told to avoid cliches, the theme is rather simple. I apologize ahead of time for the amount of cliche themes I am about to throw together at once. Sticks and stones may break ones bones but word's should never hurt you. Love who you are because it's what's on the inside that matters. Maleeka had to learn that our first and last love should be self love. Though I cannot seem to phrase the theme in the articulate way that I would like to, the entire book is about loving oneself.
3. The author was speaking as Maleeka. Maleeka's tone throughout the story was very negative. She took anything and everything negative that came her way and never stood up for herself regardless of if she truly thought otherwise. She's always talking down on herself and second guessing everything she does. Every time the author says something positive she shoots herself down with something negative.
*Please keep in mind that this is written in Maleekas perspective, the vocabulary and wording of the story aren't very structured.*
-"Before I know it, three more boys is pointing at me and singing that song too. Me, I'm wishing the building will collapse on top of me."
-"It's bad enough that I'm the darkest, worse dressed thing in school. I'm also the tallest, skinniest thing you ever seen."
-"Skin the color of potato chips and cashews and Mary Jane candies. No Almond Joy colored girls like me."
4.
Characterization: Though this isn't the most descriptive book, the way the author describes some of the characters helps me picture the story better so that I can make connections with my life as well.
"She's tall and fat like nobody's business, and she's got the smallest feet I've ever seen. Worse yet, she's got a giant white stain spread halfway across her face like somebody tossed acid on it or something."
Setting: The setting is what made this story so easy to relate to myself. Most of my struggles being an African American woman have come from a school area, especially in Jr. High.
Antagonist: The main antagonist of the story, Charlese, reminds me a lot of a girl I spent time with in Jr. High. She pretended to be my friend because I helped her with homework and bought her stuff, then threw me under the bus and made fun of me in order to make herself look better.
Flashback: There are times that the main character has flashbacks of things certain people had told her to help her keep it together even when times get rough. This is also something I experienced a lot when I was younger.
Conflict: The entire book is filled with conflict. The struggle of loving who you are instead of hating what people say and think you are.
Diction: The authors tone and style of writing is what made this character come to life. Though we have different speech levels, I felt as if I was speaking and expressing my similar struggles with the character.
Irony: The book was rather ironic. The characters making fun of Maleeka for her dark skin tone were also black. Though they may not have been her exact shade of black, their skin tones we're simlar.
Point of view: The author told this story in Maleekas point of view instead of her own. Seeing through the characters eyes and thinking her thoughts helped the reader better sympathize for her.
Satire: Maleeka was made fun of for her dark skin tone, though it made her weak in the beginning. She learned to overcome it and come out as a better person in the end.
CHARACTERIZATION
1. Direct Characterization:
-"Charlese is the baddest thing in this school. She ain't gonna forgive you or loud talking her."
Indirect Characterization:
-"When she does, her Gucci watch flashes."
-"Seem like people been teasin gme all my life. If it ain't about my color, it's my clothes. Momma makes them by hand."
Flake uses both direct and indirect so that the reader can understand who the reader is and also see how they are. This allows the reader to develop stronger feelings and opinion towards certain characters.
2. The author uses diction to better outline a characters voice. It's easier to distinguish a characters educational background and develop a better understanding on how the character thinks.
3. The main character starts off very static, it isn't until the end where she seems to make more progress and become an dynamic character. She has a few erratic dynamic moments of change but they quickly fade as she resorts back to her old ways of thinking. After the character develops a better understanding of who she is and what she's capable of, she is able to make permanent changes to her personality.
4. I read this book because the character was me. Maleeka and I share very similar Jr. High experiences. We both have different backgrounds that put us on different paths but in the end the intertwine. I was the darkest girl at my junior high. There wasn't a day where someone didn't make a rude comment on how dark my skin was or crack a joke about how black I am. None of my friends were really my friends, they all used me and took advantage of my longing to have friends.People often took advantage of me and made me believe that they cared about me and went around telling others the opposite and belittling me around others. I spent my entire Jr. High will self esteem issues. My "friends" made me believe I was ugly and worthless and often told me how pathetic I am. It got to a point where I became so lost in their words that I had become delusional. After so many months of being used and abused I had reached my breaking point and become very suicidal. I looked in the mirror and saw black as a hideous color that doesn't blend in. I spent my nights dreaming of what it would be like if I had a lighter skin tone and eventually started to "punish myself" for being such a wretched color. I'd hit myself and cry myself to sleep wishing to escape into the fantasy land of being "Light skinned." It wasn't until I had met my best friend Kaylan at the end of my eighth grade year that I had snapped out of that negative state of mind and realized that black is beautiful. It took me three years to gain the confidence to love the skin i'm in and embrace every inch of it. Just like Maleeka, I had onced believed that black was nothing more than the ugly color that stains everything it touches. It wasn't until I met my Ms. Saunders that I learned to love the way God made me. Her struggle was so different yet so similar to mine. That's why I felt so compelled to do my Literature Analysis on such a gut-wrenching novel. This was more than just a book I needed to read for a grade, this was my life.
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