From Margin to Centre: Redefining the Black Adolescent Voice in Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give

Abstract

Voice as a stylistic feature in literature is not just an element of style, but a significant place of power, identity and resistance. The present paper focuses on the ways in which Angie Thomas The Hate U Give (2017) reinvents the Black adolescent voice in the context of the modern Young Adult (YA) literature by moving it off of the margins and to the centre of the storyline. The novel introduces the realities of race, gender, class, and identity and with the help of the character of Starr Carter, the reader is provided with the truth of how Black adolescent males react to the constraints of systemic racism and how they construct their own selfhood. This paper is based on the concepts of Critical Race Theory, Black feminist theory, and intersectionality to examine how the fictional Starr is transformed into a talking woman instead of remaining silent about the wrongs in society. The analysis will be based on her code switching, her experience as a witness of the police oppression, and how the family and the community has shaped her voice. The novel The Hate U Give is also discussed in the paper together with other recent YA novels like All American Boys, Dear Martin, and The Poet X because, according to the author, the novel by Thomas is an essential change in the field of YA literature, as it allows more voices of marginalized youth to be heard in it.