Content Warning: The novel refers to Black people as “colored,” but this guide will use the term Black to follow the example set by Black scholars, writers, and journalists. The novel contains graphic descriptions of the aftermath of a natural disaster, including loss of life. It references ecological disasters and their devastating effects. The book references and depicts sexism and intense racism and oppression toward Black and Latinx people.

The novel takes place only a few decades after the Civil War and Reconstruction, so racist oppression is a significant social factor in the story. The reader sees the patterns and structures of racism through the experiences of Josiah and Ezra. To build this theme, Hale exposes Seth to double standards, social restrictions, and interpersonal tensions. Ultimately, as the racial difference both collapses and is upheld in the aftermath of the storm, Hale reveals the social segregation to be a construct—or, as Mr. Vedder puts it, “ceremony.”

Though Seth tries hard to befriend Josiah, the other boy is aware of the differences between them and maintains the formality he is expected to use when interacting with a white person. When Seth protests this, Josiah reminds him that things are different for them.