Hearts Unbroken

This theme appears in both blatant and subtle ways in the novel. The conflict between cast members of color and PART arises because of expectations with literal roles in the fall musical. Chelsea, A.J., and Hughie are cast in roles that several in the community think of as “white roles;” when students of color earn those roles instead, Mrs. Ney and others in Parents Against Revisionist Theater cannot accept the change. In this example, Mrs. Ney shows that she can only envision the role in terms of what the actor looks like; she specifies that Dorothy should be played by a Kansan, but when Louise points out that Chelsea is in fact from Kansas, Mrs. Ney ignores the information. Hughie, “only” a freshman, gets a leading role unexpectedly, which irks Garrett Ferguson, a senior who expected to get the part. Ironically, Hughie must step out of the Tin Man role; he cannot reconcile his place in the show with the historical racism of the story’s creator.

On a more figurative level, Joey seeks big responsibilities and with them, a measure of control of the newspaper despite being “the new guy.” Rather than a period of observing and learning, as might be expected from a new staff member, Joey asks for improved performance from other staffers and more duties in his forte (photography and videography) for himself.