The characters in the book are slaves, and since slaves have no real sense of security among themselves, they cherish their families strongly. The knowledge of the possibility of being sold to far away plantations force the characters to cherish every moment they have together. The author describes this strong sense of family unity as: "there had been a time of being worked and sold, like an ox, with nothing to hold on to except each other over increasing distances. They bided their time and collected themselves back together again as they were able, from up and down cane river and as far away as Virginia, because in family there was strength that couldn't be drawn from anywhere else" (297). .
I believe that another theme throughout the book is that of coming to terms with oneself. This idea is usually seen in discussions of the importance of color. To each woman, the color of her skin was an important component of her self-esteem. Each equated whiter skin with greater self-esteem. To become accepting of her true identity required much soul searching and experiences. As an older woman, Emily walked and rode a bus for two hours to get to the nearest store to buy supplies. While she was checking out, she was pushed aside by a white woman entering and made to wait, simply because she was black. While she did not lash out in anger, Emily quietly asserted her worth in the store when she walked out without making a purchase, head held high. The other women, as well, came to terms with who they are. Each woman, beginning with Suzette, had children with white men, and progressively their children were whiter and whiter with each generation. However, no matter how white the skin, to people who knew them, they were still black. Elizabeth, Suzette's mother and the matriarch of the family, realized one day that, "five generations under one roof, all women, in an unbroken sequence, starting with her and descending down to Angelite [Emily's daughter].