Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
A Place to Get Away from It All
Tar Beach. Is that in Florida? South Carolina? Mexico, or maybe the Caribbean?
Nope. Quick geography lesson: Tar Beach isn't anywhere near the open ocean. It's a rooftop of an apartment building in New York City. But this particular rooftop is like a beach in that it's a place where our girl Cassie Louise chills with her family in the summer. It's where they go to relax and escape from their everyday troubles for a spell.
Escaping up to the roof reminds us a lot of how Cassie escapes into her imagination after her dad leaves. It's quick, easy, and free—not too shabby.
Let's take a closer look at the words themselves, because they're a little surprising together. "Tar" isn't exactly a word that we associate with the great outdoors or natural beauty, right? Thick, sticky tar isn't something you look forward to seeing when you're on a vacation, especially at the beach.
But in Cassie's mind, Tar Beach is like an amazing resort. It speaks to the power of her imagination, and also the ability to make the best out of a difficult situation. Optimism was an important skill during the Great Depression, when the book was set. Turning humble materials into something fantastic was probably an important skill for Cassie's family, who probably didn't have a lot of money. Finally, a real beach might have been hard to find for Cassie's family, since many beaches back then were segregated.