The protagonist, Jose, is poverty-stricken and it is evident in the way in which he lives. As with the other novels so far in the course, food and drink are representative of something. In this circumstance, the generous descriptions of the food make the meals sound more substantial than they are. There is not a lot of food there but the loving way in which M’man Tine prepares the food for him makes it seem very significant. The conditions that this boy and the plantation workers had to face is demonstrated by their poor living conditions. The boy describes his lunch as “soak[ing] cassava flour in water, [and] stirring in oil” (60). Because the narrator doesn’t understand why he cannot have sugar with his cassava flour (saying it tastes better), he goes in search of his grandmother’s tin of sugar. This passage demonstrates the narrator’s child-like behaviour and how he is too young to understand that they are poor. Their quality of life is also reflected by the environment. For example, the narration describes “how mournful the night seemed, with paths absorbed by the darkness, the galvanized roofs of the shacks assuming a bluish hue” (69). I was a little alarmed at the scene where the grandmother was beating the protagonist up. After all, he is just a young boy and not very understanding of the world and realties of life. The anger that Maman tine displayed towards her grandson honestly seemed incredibly loaded with hatred and bitterness. The way in which she speaks about her hatred of taking care of first his mother, and then him suggests that there is generational trauma in her being poor and having to raise children. Jose being young, is unexperienced with the world around him. His grandmother is used to, and probably traumatized by racism and the life she has had. I think that his grandmother sacrificed so much for him and when Jose is able to attend school, he is further introduced into a world dominated by white people.
The first time Jose “went outside to have a fresh look at Black Shack Alley, [it was] both a relief and a disappointment” (105). Here, it seems that Jose is somewhat ashamed of living here.
I noticed that even though his grandmother works in the plantation, she can barely afford sugar and also doesn’t indulge in buying much for herself. A metaphor could be that she works on cultivating so much sweetness for others, yet doesn’t save any for herself.
A question to think about is, do you think Jose truly understood what his grandmother sacrificed and did for him, or do you think he took it for granted?
Shanshan Zhang
February 25, 2022 — 8:52 pm
These are interesting points in your post. I think that was a great observation on how the grandmother can work to cultivate sugar but cannot afford much herself. I think it is the reflection of how many societies in developing countries have cash crop economies, and are not able to really have a sustainable economy.
Jon
February 16, 2022 — 11:16 am
“I noticed that even though his grandmother works in the plantation, she can barely afford sugar and also doesn’t indulge in buying much for herself. A metaphor could be that she works on cultivating so much sweetness for others, yet doesn’t save any for herself.”
This is a good point. More broadly, it points to the geo-politics at work here: Much of the best agricultural land in these Caribbean islands is dedicated to sugar for export to Europe and elsewhere, rather than to food for the islands’ inhabitants.
daelyn wagner
February 15, 2022 — 3:41 pm
Hey Danielle, to answer your question I think that Jose understood the sacrifices that his grandmother made for him in a technical sense. However I think that he didn’t truly understand the physical and emotional toll that all the extra work and long hours took on her. I feel that this was just do to his age and stage of life that he was in because he was too young to truly understand the emotional toll that work can take on people when they are older compared to someone his age. Great question!
Andrew How
February 15, 2022 — 12:05 pm
Danielle,
Great analysis around food and poverty. Interesting that you saw the hatred and bitterness. There’s definitely some venting of frustration from M’man Tine and likely because of their difficult situation, made worse by the mischief of Jose and the kids. However, it contrasts heavily with the amount of love that she shows him; she gives him food and doesn’t take much for herself; she works extremely hard to deliver Jose from the fields and to school instead; and when he starts his education she becomes visibly proud and affectionate towards him.
Jon
February 16, 2022 — 11:15 am
Yes, I agree. Certainly by the end (when M’man Tine dies) we can see how much she suffered for Jose, and how much Jose appreciates and respects that–and is also angry that she had to do so.