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Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.
The Struggle to Live Freely
The novel revolves around the main characters’ struggle to live freely in an oppressive society. Physical captivity is a major theme from the opening scene of the book, when Tish visits Fonny in jail. The book repeatedly describes how the criminal justice system acts not as an organization intended to keep people safe from crime, but as an organization dedicated to the physical control of members of oppressed groups, especially Black people and other people of color. Fonny’s arrest and imprisonment are not a result of his breaking the law but of his daring, as a Black man, to live with the freedom accorded only to white men. Similarly, Daniel is sent to prison for a crime he cannot possibly have committed and then is sent back for a second time to prevent him from giving testimony that could have freed Fonny. Daniel is left deeply traumatized by his time in prison, and the pain he carries is proof that even after a period of physical captivity has ended, the effects of imprisonment make it very difficult to live a free life.
The theme of the struggle to live freely extends beyond literal imprisonment, however. Throughout the book, the lives of the Black characters demonstrate the ways an unjust society builds traps that require a constant struggle to resist and evade. Sharon’s decision to leave the South is described in terms of escape, just as Joseph’s life in Albany is described as a trap. While the text suggests that New York City offers more freedom than those places, Tish nevertheless sees much of Harlem as a trap, a place where it will be impossible for her and Fonny to build a new life for themselves. Fonny, in his escape from the vocational school that seeks, according to the narrative, to teach its students to be slaves, devotes himself to sculpture. This passion saves him from the traps of drugs, alcohol, and crime that claim the lives of his peers. While his life as an artist is not easy, the desire to make art fuels his struggle for freedom.
The Corruption at the Heart of America
The novel presents the power structure of the United States as a fundamentally corrupt one, built to maintain itself by oppressing entire classes of people. Fonny, Frank, Tish, and Tish’s family see the jails and courts as intended not to preserve justice but to ensure that the ruling class can control the lives of the oppressed, especially people of color. The extended metaphor of the jailhouse as the Sahara, with the lawyers and bondsmen depicted as vultures waiting to scavenge the poor, demonstrates how those who work for the system serve the rich at the expense of the poor despite not being well-off themselves.
Hayward is portrayed as the rare exception, a lawyer who, through his contact with Fonny’s case, has come to recognize the rotten heart of the system he once believed in. This corruption is personified in the character of Officer Bell, a vindictive cop who is known to be racist and a murderer, yet still acts with the authority of the government. In the same passage that describes him as stupid and wicked, he is compared to American heroes John Wayne and George Washington, illustrating the novel’s standpoint that Officer Bell is not an exception in an otherwise just system, but rather the highest example of American corruption.
The Strength Gained from Family
Living in an oppressive society and facing struggles that could easily lead to despair, the members of Tish’s family turn to each other for strength. In the novel’s opening, Tish assures Fonny that her family will care for her through her pregnancy and beyond, a statement that shows both that she has faith in their love and that she is used to them providing her strength. Indeed, the family does take care of her, ensuring that she gets rest and encouraging her to quit her job late in her pregnancy. However, this support is also described as a means by which Tish can care for Fonny, giving him strength by making sure the baby that gives him hope is born healthy. While Sharon comforts Tish after a nightmare, she reminds her that she is not alone and assures her at the same time that she has the strength to keep the baby safe, something they are relying on Tish to do. Fonny’s own family does not have this same sense of unity, as Fonny and his father are seen as being on one side and his mother and sisters on another. That lack of unity contributes to weakness in the family and ultimately to Frank’s suicide.
