Prejudice

The Hate U Give explores the theme of prejudice on multiple different levels.

Most of all, the story is of course about prejudice against African-Americans. We see this prejudice reflected both by individual characters (especially Hailey) and in various institutions in society. We see prejudice in law enforcement through One-Fifteen’s killing of the unarmed Khalil, we see prejudice in the justice system through the way the case unfolds afterwards, and we even see prejudice in the media in the way they report on both the specific case and the neighborhood of Garden Heights:

I tense as footage of my neighborhood, my home, is shown. It’s like they picked the worst parts - the drug addicts roaming the streets, the broken-down Cedar Grove projects, gangbangers flashing signs, bodies on the sidewalks with white sheets over them. Wh...