Racism in the American prison system
Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s first theme in the novel Chain-Gang All-Stars is racism in the American prison system. In the privatized prison industry, Black prisoners are singled out to enroll on a CAPE program. Most Blacks who participate in the gladiatorial system fights are killed, which is of little concern to the white cooperate owners who sponsor the events. The black prisoners are also mistreated in the cells because many of them are implanted with magnets without their will. Consequently, racial bigotry is a major theme in the novel because it shows how Black prisoners are exposed to danger.
Capitalism
Capitalism is another major topic in Chain-Gang All-Stars. Corporate entities sponsor the CAPE program because it has a huge fan base in the live channel and arena crowds. The primary goal of the sponsors is to maximize profits through adverts and fees paid by the crowds that come to watch the live gladiatorial games. In other words, the corporate entities sponsoring these games are not interested in human lives but in making huge profits. Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah shows readers that America is a capitalistic society because companies do not care about human life. The corporate entities argue that the fighting games are critical because, in the process, the hardcore criminals are eliminated through death. However, there is no justification for killing prisoners.
Love
Throughout the novel, readers realize inmates express intimate love for each other despite living in harsh conditions. For instance, Loretta and Hamara have a sexual relationship and love each other passionately. In addition, the author explains how Hamara values her competitors even if she kills them during competitions. According to Hamara, she loves her competitors, but she has no option but to kill them if she wants to progress to the next step of the competition.
