Most Impactful Character:
Starr Carter was the most impactful character to me when I was reading the book. When Khalil was shot and killed by the police officer, Starr was hiding from the public and didn’t want anyone to know that she was the witness because she was devastated and embarrassed of knowing a person who was thought of as a drug dealer. She was ashamed of the neighborhood that she lived in and didn’t want her friends from her high school to associate her with trouble. For weeks, Starr felt uncomfortable speaking to anyone about being the witness for Khalil’s death, and she was too nervous to protest in honor of him. Starr’s friend, Kenya, pushes and encourages her to speak about what happened to Khalil, and Starr then does an interview where she comes forward about the events that really occurred during the interaction with the officer. The bravery that it took for Starr to do an interview really stood out to me when reading the novel because of how afraid she was of being targeted after Khalil was killed. It had an impact on me because as a teenager, Starr had to go through some of the hardest times in her life and be able to speak publicly about the events that happened. She progressed as a character and gained the confidence to protest in honor of her friend Khalil.
Characters that Changed and Evolved:
Starr: After Starr witnesses Khalil being killed, she does not speak about it with anyone and doesn’t want to be identified as the witness. After Kenya talks to Starr about why she should do more to get justice for Khalil, Starr does an interview and describes the events that happened when Khalil was killed. Starr also didn’t feel like she could show Chris she “Garden Heights” side of her, and after he finds out she was the witness, she opens up to him a lot more about where she is from and how important Khalil was to her.
Maverick: When Starr and her siblings were little, Maverick was in jail and Uncle Carlos had to take care of the kids with Lisa. We see in the novel that Maverick does everything he can to obey the police officers and stay out of trouble as much as he can. Because of all the crime and brutality in their community, Lisa suggests moving to a different neighborhood, and Maverick says no because he thinks that they would be betraying their community by leaving everyone else behind. Towards the end of the novel, Maverick realizes that the most important thing is keeping his children safe, and the only way to do that is to leave Garden Heights and to move to a safer neighborhood. It took him a while to realize this but when he does, he admits he was wrong about wanting to stay. When Maverick first found out that Starr was dating Chris, he was not happy and only saw Chris as some “white boy”. When Chris became more supportive of Starr during the protest, Maverick gained respect for him and realized that he judged Chris too soon.
DeVante: DeVante was caught up in trouble because he got caught up with King’s drug selling and was unable to keep himself safe. He tried to turn it around by working more at Maverick’s store and staying away from the Lords gang. Uncle Carlos offered to let DeVante sleep in his home, and although DeVante was hesitant about how things would work out, he gave it a try and started going to school to turn his life around.
Most Relatable Characters:
Starr Carter: Because Starr is the main character, we learn the most about her which is why a lot about her is easy to relate to. Starr is in high school and goes through the typical teenager experience. She is trying to figure out who she is and she is figuring out who her true friends are. I think this part of her character is relatable for all teenagers because in high school, everyone is trying to figure out who their best friends are and who they truly are.
Maya Young: Although Maya isn’t a huge character in the novel, I feel that I can relate to her in the way that she does not understand what Starr is going through. Because Starr is African American, she always fears police brutality and has seen two of her closest friends killed by police officers. Maya has not gone through any of this and sometimes has a hard time understanding what is going on with Starr and why she is upset. I have never witnessed a tragedy like this, so I feel like I would be in the same situation as Maya. She tries to support Starr but at the same time does not know what it’s like to be scared of police officers like Starr is.
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