Theme 1: Overcoming Obstacles
1) "He grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her down... One month later, Joy and Nikki were packed up. Together, they left Bill for good." (10)
- Joy's obstacle was her husband who was physically, mentally, and emotionally abusive on account of his drug and alcohol addiction. On the day that her husband came home and pushed Joy around, Joy's only thought was making sure her child would not be waken. Joy defended herself and realized that the only safe option she had was to leave her husband. Once she did, her obstacle that was her abusive husband was overcome.
2) "She'd always pull back enough in her interactions with her classmates to give herself room to quietly observe them, so that when she got home she could practice imitating their accents, their idiosyncrasies, their style." (8)
- Being an immigrant from Jamaica, Joy wanted "desperately to fit in," with her peers in the Bronx. To do this she studied her classmates talk, mimicked what she heard on the radio and TV, and tried to adapt to American english and life. Her obstacle was being the outsider, a foreigner. She overcame this obstacle and fear of hers by studying and pursuing a different way of speaking in order to fit in and be normal. This studying and determination of learning a new way of speaking really highlights how she wanted to blend into her new surroundings and jump "into the melting pot with both of her feet."
Theme 2: Life Choices
3) "By the end of the riots... Mary was only a kid, but she made a pact with herself at that moment: she would get her education and leave the neighborhood no matter what it took." (19)
-Mary was challenged with growing up in a crowded household in a bad neighborhood during turbulent times that involved many riots. By making the choice of leaving the destruction that she had grown up with, she took her fate into her own hands and was the first to experience college. Despite not being able to get a bachelors degree, Mary still strived for a better life and was determined to be in a better place. She did this all in spite of having to take care of her two children on her own.
4) "'It's Bernard's crazy ass out there. I ain't going out to talk to him. He's drunk and crazy'... That was the last time he tried to see his son."(24)
- Despite the fact that Bernard wanted to see his son, Mary knew that to keep herself safe and her two sons safe that staying away from Bernard would be best. By choosing to ignore his screams and calls she overcame his overbearing self and raised her two children on her own without his help. This choice of not letting her ex boyfriend in the house to see his son meant Wes would not have a Father present but it also meant peace and safety in Mary's family.
5) "'I don't trust them, Mommy. They have never really given very good treatment, so I just don't feel like I will get it now.'.... Alma went to the hospital for the transplant."
-Alma's choice of going on with the kidney transplant despite her suspicions drastically changed the life of her family. After her death the heart of the family was gone and the only thing to replace it for Kenneth was booze. Ultimately her choice to go through with the kidney transplant, as innocent as it sounds, affected her family dynamic after her tragic death, and her family was forever changed. For one, her eight children were left with their alcoholic father who struggled greatly with the death of his wife, aging grandparents that were supposed to fill the void of a mother, and a loss of their mother's compassion and helpful thoughts.
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