Harbor Me

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2018

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-6

Chapters 7-11

Chapters 12-17

Chapters 18-23

Chapters 24-30

Chapters 31-34

Chapters 35-40

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Chapters 31-34Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 31 Summary

In class after Christmas vacation, Ashton looks longingly at the expensive shoes Holly received as a gift and compares them to his own cheap, discount-store shoes. Holly protests when Amari calls her “a rich girl” (137). Haley thinks about Kira’s mother, who wanted Holly to appreciate the expensive shoes. Haley realizes that Holly often gets what she wants, but she also thinks of Holly as a generous person. For instance, she often asks her mother to get things for Haley, too, so that they can share. Amari and Holly bicker back and forth about the shoes, which makes Haley realize that Amari cares what Holly thinks of him.

Holly makes the point that no one can choose the life they are born into, and tells her friends that she’d give the shoes to any of her friends that asked. Tiago reminds everyone that Ms. Laverne wanted them to grow closer in the ARTT room, not argue with each other. Amari promises not to call Holly a rich girl anymore, and everyone agrees that they’re all friends.

Chapter 32 Summary

Holly asks Haley why she hasn’t talked about her father in the ARTT room. It is a Friday night, and the two girls are playing dolls together at Holly’s house. Haley tells her that she does talk into her voice recorder when she is alone at home. Holly’s mother Kira knows Haley’s uncle, and Holly tells Haley about conversations she’s overheard the adults having. According to Holly, Haley is “a rich girl too” (144) because her grandfather left her uncle and father money, and she was left insurance money after her mother died. The thought of having this money disorients Haley at first, but she and Holly talk about how it is another sign that a person cannot choose some things in life. Haley promises to tell her story next Friday.

Chapter 33 Summary

In the ARTT room next Friday, Haley is nervous about telling her story, even though she tells herself that the ARTT group is made up of her friends. Esteban starts by sharing another poem his father has written. The poem describes hearing the multitude of different languages in the detention center in Florida. When the guards in the center tell the detainees that it is time for lights out at the end of the day, the detainees all yell back the order in their individual languages. Afterwards, Haley tells them she needs to tell the ARTT group the story of her father and mother.

Chapter 34 Summary

Haley goes back to the moment when she and Haley met. Haley’s mom Kira asked about Haley’s name and family. It turned out that Kira knew Haley’s mom. Haley tells the ARTT group that her father is in prison as a result of the car accident that killed her mother. Kira and Haley’s mom Beryl took Lamaze classes together and Kira tells Haley about her mother’s sense of humor and positive spirit.

The story of the loss of Haley’s mother is sad, but Kira’s memories of her mother’s positive spirit are uplifting to the ARTT group. Esteban tells Haley that her story gives him some hope. He says that Haley being strong while she waits for her dad to get out of prison encourages him to be strong for his own father.

Chapters 31-34 Analysis

After the ARTT students come back from their winter break from school, the individuality of the group's members is again cast into the spotlight. Explorations of the differences between the members push Haley to finally share her story with the others. The path to that moment begins when her counterpart and best friend Holly is called a "rich girl” for having received expensive shoes for Christmas. Earlier in the novel, Amari proved himself to be more than a joker when he articulated issues of racism to the group. The outspoken Holly similarly shows herself to be more than a materialistic, energetic girl when she defends herself against criticism about her family's wealth. She reveals her philosophical side by stating that no one “chooses where they get born or who they get born to” (139-140). This revelation speaks to the group and reveals that Holly's personality, like the others', has layers.

Emboldened by her self-defense, Holly casually reveals she knows that Haley has money as well. Haley was unaware that her family set money aside for her and is taken aback by the news. She has already begun to be more confident about the complex truth of her identity, but Holly's news is the tipping point. Holly is the closest of all of Haley's friends, and the intimacy between them makes her a natural person to help Haley find a final push. Holly encourages Haley with realism, telling her that sometimes “life gives you stuff you don’t want, but you have to take it anyway” (145). The comment mirrors Haley's defense of her own life situation and is further indication of the bond between the two girls. Holly’s words also help Haley realize that the truth about her mother's death and her father's imprisonment isn't something to hide but can instead be accepted as part of what makes her unique.

Just before Haley tells her story at the next ARTT group meeting, Esteban shares another poem from his father. The passage that references “the song the world / has been trying to teach us / since the beginning of time” (149) echoes Haley’s interest in storytelling and the layering of histories and identities. The poetic lines preface Haley finally telling her own story. Without being overtly referenced as such, Esteban's reading of the poem is a sign of the mutual support the group provides to each other. Haley feels supported enough to lay bare her vulnerabilities and tell her story. When Esteban tells Haley that her story makes him “feel like [he] can be strong too” (157), the group’s support structure comes full circle.