The main theme in the story concerns personal values and identity. Maggie and Dee grew up as sisters in the same home, but they could not be more different. To Dee, home was a place from which to escape as soon as possible on the way to a "better" life. She hungered for education and material wealth. She had no meaningful relationship with her mother and sister and felt no interest in or connection to her grandparents and great grandparents. Dee chose to identify with her African ancestors while rejecting her family. She is portrayed as self-centered, insensitive, and abrasive. Maggie, in contrast, shared a loving bond with her mother and embraced her family history. Though far less educated and in no way stylish like her sister, Maggie and her values are far more appealing than Dee's.