Identity Crisis
The narrator is 14 years old, and he is in an inimitable environment in which he is trying to discover himself. Benji is an African-American with a golden opportunity of studying in a private learning institution in New York. The reader realizes that Benji is a fortunate boy growing up in a predominantly white society, unlike other blacks who are segregated. Looking around, Benji discovers that he is the only odd one out because all his classmates are of a different color and race. Consequently, Benji finds it challenging to identify himself with other learners and the society that surrounds him. Benji's father is not happy with the whites because he accuses them of mistreatment and unfair treatment.
Benji's father's sentiments make him feel that he does not belong to white society. Benji's siblings also find it hard to associate themselves with the whites because their father does not like the white community. According to Benji's father, the whites treat African-Americans as lesser-beings. Benji's father's hatred towards the whites is depicted when he tells his sons not to tolerate any prejudice from the whites, and he encourages them to avenge when provoked.
Outgoing and having fun
The predominant question throughout the novel is, "When are you going out?" The narrator and his friends love going out during the summer to have fun. Fishing is one of the outing activities the narrator and his friends do. The narrator asks, "When did you get out? Was the sound of our trap biting shut; we took the baiyear after yearar, pure pinned joy in the town of Sag Harbor." The narrator continues to ask, "Who else is out? The season had begun, we were proof of it, an instrument of it, but could not get started until all the players took their marks, bounding down driveways, all gimme-fives." For Benji, going out and having fun is one of the best tactics to divert his attention and focus on his self-identity crisis. Even though being surrounded by the whites, the feeling of fun and entertainment prevented him from thinking that he did not belong to the society that surrounded him.
The problem of traffic jams
The novel 'Sag Harbor' by Colson Whitehead highlights traffic jams as one of the major problems facing both developed and upcoming cities globally. Heavy traffic snarl-ups slow down movement, and it impacts negatively on the economy. For instance, the narrator explains the strategies his family uses to beat the traffic jams. Benji's father is tactical because he wakes up at five in the morning when there are few vehicles on the road to arrive at his workplace in time. The narrator says, "My father's method was easy and brutal – hit the road at five in the morning so that we were the only living souls on the Long Island Expressway, making a break for it in the haunted dark." The narrator further explains how his friends ditch others to leave the office early to beat traffic.
