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Chapter 8
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Mighty Miss Malone, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Hope
Talent and Hard Work
Family
The Black Experience in America
The Great Depression
Summary
Analysis
On the first morning of summer vacation, Deza waits impatiently for Clarice to arrive. They’re planning to spend their morning at the library, then head to the ballpark early enough to get good seats for the baseball game. The Gary Iron-Head Dogs are playing the Chicky-Bar Giants from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Clarice, who has a crush on Jimmie, is disappointed that he’s not there. She’ll see him later, though, since he’s singing the National Anthem at the game.
As the summer of 1936 begins, Deza is happy and content with her life, despite the trials her family faces. Thanks to their love and her indelible hope in the future, even worrisome things like Mr. Malone’s enduring unemployment seem insignificant to her. Her world may be small but it is large enough for her.
Themes
Clarice and Deza are surprised to find the Gary Public Library decked out with banners and decorations in anticipation of the Louis-Schmeling boxing match. Mrs. Ashton, a White librarian, asks them if they’re excited, too. She assumes they must be proud of Joe Louis, who is such a “credit to their race.” Deza doesn’t know how to respond. She and Clarice find a place to sit, then start to discuss, in animated whispers, how silly the boxing obsession is. They disturb a White lady sitting at a nearby table, who heads for the front desk to complain. The girls decide to leave before they can get in trouble. As they walk through the doors, they hear Mrs. Ashton explaining to the White lady that they’re just excited about the match. Mentioning it causes other patrons to erupt into a chorus of excited whoops and hollers.
Boxing fever has taken over the whole town. It’s not just teachers like Mrs. Needham endorsing the violence now, but librarians, who represent (in Deza’s mind) the antithesis of the bloody and physically-minded boxing fanatics. The decorations suggest the degree of hype surrounding the fight. And the fact that Mrs. Ashton, the White librarian, is excited about it too reminds readers of how much is riding on its outcome. It’s as if the fight itself has become a referendum on the worthiness of all Black people in America. In this light, Mrs. Ashton’s comments are alarming, because they suggest a belief that White society has the right to decide which Black people are—and aren’t—acceptable.
Themes
Although Deza and Clarice arrive at the ballpark two hours early, the stands are already filling up. When Jimmie finally comes out to sing, they leave the bleachers to join the crowd that instantly gathers around him. Deza always closes her eyes when Jimmie sings so she can focus on his voice. It seems to swell until she imagines that he grows as big as the ballpark itself. What she loves the most is the emotional intensity he manages to inject into every phrase he sings. After the National Anthem, the crowd demands that he lead them in three rounds of Joe Louis’s fight song, and he obliges.
The book doesn’t state this explicitly, but it’s likely that the people rushing to fill up the ballpark represent all races in Gary, Indiana. In America, baseball was segregated from the late 19th century until the 1940s, but in the 1920s and 1930s, many Black teams proved capable of drawing enormous crowds. Singing the national anthem allows Jimmie to show off his talent for singing. And the crowd’s reaction suggests that Jimmie’s voice is worthy of all the praise Deza heaped on it in her essay.
Themes
Unfortunately, Jimmie’s performance is the highlight of the afternoon. The Iron-Head Dogs’ washed-up pitcher hands the Clicky-Bar Giants an easy win. As Clarice and Deza leave the park, they hear people advertising listening parties for the Louis-Schmeling boxing match. Deza’s family is going to one at Mr. Bobbin’s barber shop. Deza doesn’t care about the match, but she is excited for the potluck.
Despite their home-field advantage, the Iron-Head Dogs lose the game in part based on their pitcher’s lack of proper fitness. This provides a timely reminder that although Joe Louis is heavily favored to win his bout against Schmeling, nothing is guaranteed. And the possibility of his loss carries implications for all Black Americans, given what’s riding on the fight.
Themes
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That night at dinner, Deza asks Mr. Malone and Mrs. Malone what “credit to your race” means. Mr. Malone says it’s something that sounds like a compliment. But, Jimmie interjects, it’s really an insult. Mr. Malone continues, telling Deza that it signals that the intentions of whoever says it might not be good. If she hears it, she should pay attention and keep an extra sharp eye out for trouble.
When Deza asks her parents about Mrs. Ashton’s comments, the book forthrightly describes the kind of racism and prejudice Black Americans faced in the 1920s. It conveys the idea that White society only chooses to accept some Black people and not others and highlights how far the country has to go in terms of true liberty and justice for all.
Themes
