Small Island is a character-driven narrative as it interweaves the narrations of the four protagonists Queenie, Hortense, Gilbert, and Bernard. It explores the social dynamics in England during and after the Second World War for both the natives and immigrants. It ties in topics of racial prejudice, the immigrant experience, interracial relations, and the effects of the war physically and psychologically. Thus, Levy focuses on each character's experiences with the themes at hand interlinking issues such as colonialism and mass migration. She juxtaposes the marital problems of the white and black couples to encapsulate the shared experience as much as the different aspects they face. Accordingly, the narrative incorporates the characters as vital allegories to the tensions of war and race through their voices.
The theme of racial prejudice takes up a big chunk of the story as it primarily revolves around Jamaican immigrants and their experiences in World War II and England. It showcases the racial conflicts that the heavy economic and social toll of the war on the British has accentuated. Therefore, Hortense and Gilbert offer a glimpse into their treatment in both the public and private spheres due to racism. Through Hortense, the novel highlights the disillusionment suffered by black migrants who expected to live the dream they hoped for. Back home she was aware of her social prejudice due to her lighter skin color as Levy explores the aspects of colorism among black people. Moreover, the classism of which Hortense was guilty of too since she viewed herself as more educated than most. Through Gilbert, the dynamic of military service for black people is showcased particularly the lack of veneration postwar.
Furthermore, Levy handles the subject of multiculturalism in how it was a complicated transition for both the locals and the immigrants. The reader observes the immigrants integrate into a society adjusting from a devastating war that greatly affected every aspect. Therefore the expectations that individuals such as Hortense harbored were shattered by the realities of racism and desolation. However, the story also conveys the attitude of cultural hybridity through an interracial relationship and biracial child as different racial communities dwell in harmony.
