Racial Microaggressions
Although the term never arises in the book, one of the dominant themes Jerry Craft explores in New Kid is racial microaggressions. Coined in the 1970s by Chester M. Pierce, a Black psychiatrist, "microaggressions" are defined as actions or comments that reveal prejudice toward members of marginalized groups. The term is used to describe situations in which someone unconsciously or unintentionally does or says something offensive, not realizing the effect their actions have. In contrast to overt racist provocations carried out by open racists and white supremacists, racial microaggressions arise in everyday life and are perpetrated by people who do not think of themselves as prejudiced. In the novel, the main microaggression Jordan encounters is that white students and teachers often call him Maury, confusing him for another Black student who looks nothing like him. Jordan interprets this as a microaggression because the mistake reveals an unconscious tendency to not see the difference between people with dark skin. The same happens for Drew, who is angry not just because Ms. Rawle calls him by the name of an ex-student, but because she reveals her prejudice against Black students by treating him as though he is just as much of a troublemaker and "handful" as Deandre was. Aside from depicting the microaggressions themselves, Craft also shows the insidious, cumulative effect they have on marginalized people. By the end of the book, Drew has given up caring what Ms. Rawle thinks of him, and is openly defiant, giving her "what she wants," i.e. what her prejudice expects of him.
White Privilege
White privilege—social advantages afforded to white people in a society characterized by racial inequality—is a key theme in New Kid. Early in the book, Craft depicts the Banks family members' differing attitudes toward Jordan starting school at Riverdale Academy Day School. At the prospect of Jordan attending an elite private institution, Chuck hesitantly points out that it doesn't look very ethnically diverse. After becoming acquainted with the school, Jordan tells his father that his assessment was correct, but there are a few Black students in every grade. In this elite, mostly white social environment, Jordan is sensitive to how white students take their privilege for granted. Craft explores the theme largely through Andy, who constantly disrupts conversations and acts out for attention, often using language that derives from Black culture he has only been exposed to through media. Andy's white privilege arises when Ms. Rawle reprimands Drew calling jokingly calling Jordan "dawg": Drew points out that Andy says "dawg" constantly and she never disciplines him for it. When talking with Jordan for the first time, Drew also mentions how they, aware of themselves as Black students in a white setting, never wear clothing that's ostentatious or would make them seem threatening. Andy, by contrast, dresses outlandishly, never having to worry about how people might read him negatively for it. The theme also arises when Jordan explains his protocol for taking the bus: in the ethnically diverse Washington Heights, he tries to look as tough as possible so no one messes with him; in Riverdale, he takes off his sunglasses and hoody and tries to seem as non-threatening to white people, as he assumes their inherent bias against people of color means they instinctively distrust him. Ultimately, the fact that Drew and Jordan have learned to take things like this into consideration speaks to how American society is organized to discriminate against them while giving preferential treatment to white people in the same context.
Class Difference
The difference that arises from one's class background is another important theme in New Kid. Defined as social division based on economic and/or social status, class is inscribed in every character in the book. Jordan's parents have middle-class careers, meaning they live a comfortable life in a nice apartment in a neighborhood that has a demographic mix of people. Drew comes from a working-class background, raised by his grandmother in the Bronx, which is statistically a lower-income borough of New York City. Liam, by contrast, is upper class. He lives in a mansion in an elite suburb, and his parents hire staff to look after driving and household chores. When they are getting to know each other, Liam is reluctant to admit that Mr. Pierre is his family's driver, calling him a "family friend" when Jordan asks. This same shame over class privilege is also on display when Liam makes Jordan repeatedly promise that he won't judge him once he sees his house. The theme of class difference also arises when Liam gives Jordan an unexpected Christmas gift: Money being no issue for Liam's family, Liam gives Jordan the deluxe version of a video game Jordan's parents consider too expensive in its regular edition. In his sequel to New Kid, Class Act, Craft puts the theme of class difference at the center of the story, depicting how class difference contributes to the way staff and students at RAD treat Drew, Jordan, and Liam.
Academic Achievement
Among the primary reasons Jordan's mother sends him to RAD is that its students are known for their academic achievement. While Jordan prefers art to academia, he is nonetheless a talented student who achieves high enough grades to get into RAD on financial aid. Although Jordan's social life at RAD and in Washington Heights is the focus of the novel, Craft repeatedly depicts Jordan having to put down his Xbox controller and pick up his homework. The amount of assignments and studying students have to keep up with is also a refrain for Drew, who several times cites it as the reason he has to end a conversation with Jordan. After parent-teacher night, the first comment Jordan's mother makes is about the only class in which he isn't achieving high marks; this shows how Jordan's parents put pressure on him to excel. Ultimately, for students like Jordan and Drew, whose middle-class and working-class guardians cannot afford private school tuition without it being subsidized, academic excellence is the only way to find a place among the elite at RAD.
Bonding
Bonding—establishing relationships based on interests, feelings, or experiences held in common—is a major theme in New Kid. Throughout the graphic novel, we see Jordan interact with many people in various social situations, but it is only sometimes that he can find a genuine connection with someone. At the beginning of the book, it seems as though he and Liam have little in common, as Liam comes from a white, wealthy family whose history at RAD goes back generations. However, Liam and Jordan quickly bond over their love of Xbox Live, and soon they discover that their different class backgrounds don't impede their friendship. With Drew, it takes Jordan a while to get to know him, but once they do finally talk, the boys realize they can bond easily over their experience as Black minority students at RAD—an experience to which Liam cannot relate. The theme of bonding also arises when Jordan fails to find points in common with Maury. Although Jordan seeks him out because they are both students of color, Maury's interests don't align with Jordan's, causing awkwardness between them. At the end of the novel, Craft depicts how Jordan's ability to bond with people has expanded over the year he has spent at RAD. Not limited to friendships with Liam and Drew, Jordan discovers during the yearbook signing that he also has affection for Alex, Alexandra, Ruby, and Ashley. Seeing that Andy has failed to bond with anyone, Jordan even makes a gesture of kindness and offers to sign his signature-less yearbook.
Creativity
Creativity is another major theme that should not be overlooked in New Kid. From the novel's beginning, Craft establishes how Jordan's interest in art and drawing puts him at odds with his mother, who wants him to attend RAD and learn "the rules" of the American elite. While Jordan's mother values the ability to excel in corporate America, Jordan finds great satisfaction in creative expression. While he puts up with frustrations at RAD, Jordan turns to his sketchbook and channels his annoyance into humorous comics. Eventually, his creative expression comes into conflict with Ms. Rawle, who reads his comics without his permission and takes offense at the "anger" he expresses toward her and RAD. Although Jordan disputes her characterization, Jordan makes an unexpected breakthrough in art class when he channels his anger at the school into an abstract painting that Ms. Slate secretly turns into the yearbook cover. By the end of the book, Jordan can see the beauty in the painting he made and accept that he doesn't need to be in art school to have a creative outlet.
Social Hierarchy
Another dominant theme in New Kid is social hierarchy—the arrangement of people in a way that determines their status or authority. At RAD, which has both middle-school and high-school students, Jordan encounters a rigid and unchallenged social hierarchy that puts the older students at the top and the younger ones at the bottom. It is because of social hierarchy that sophomores make Jordan and other first-formers leave their lunch table and move to the most drafty, smelly table in the cafeteria. The social hierarchy also categorizes people in terms of their interests: on Jordan's first day, Andy warns him to avoid anyone dorky and geeky, as they are always at the bottom of the hierarchy and can damage a person's status by association. The theme of social hierarchy also arises in the context of sports: as starting quarterback, Drew receives praise and adoration from the student body, who afford him special status as the leader of the football team. However, he confides to Jordan that his popularity is hollow, as everyone cheers him on and congratulates him but doesn't make the effort to get to know him. Ultimately, the needless categorization of people into social strata at RAD mirrors the way in which society itself is unfairly and often superficially organized—a reality Jordan's mother wants him to learn to live with at school so that he may succeed in the corporate world.