Family

Family is an important theme in the novel “Inside Out & Back Again” by Thanhha Lai. Family involves mutual love, compassion, loyalty towards, and emotional, spiritual, and physical support of individuals who may or may not be blood-related, but who still behave in the fashion of the traditional family unit. Family can be found consistently throughout the novel, and Family affects the plot of the novel in various ways.

At the beginning of the novel, it is clear to the reader that Ha and her family are very close-knit and have only one another to rely upon. They are daily faced with the effects of war--including food scarcity--and are constantly reminded of the absence of their father, who has been gone for nine years. His absence only means the rest of the family grows closer, grateful that they still have one another.

When North Vietnam invades South...