Microaggressions

George uses the theme of microaggressions to primarily help the reader understand the experience of living as a Black woman in a predominantly white country, but also to educate the reader on how to combat them. First, she shows how microaggressions show up in the dating world. Next, she compares and contrasts racist and sexist microaggressions in both Maddie’s home life and work life. Finally, George resolves this theme by showing how Maddie handles these experiences and learns from them. This provides an example for both white readers and Black readers.

First, George uses the theme of microaggressions to demonstrate how they show up in the dating world. The novel starts with Maddie’s Mum repeatedly nagging her and guilt tripping her about her dating life, even suggesting she might be gay, or at least she is odd for not having a boyfriend at her...