How Love Transcends Hardship

Jesmyn Ward’s story portrays a world filled with poverty, racial injustice, and addiction, where Jojo’s familial bonds are strained to the breaking point. However, through these challenges, a profound and enduring theme emerges - the transcendent power of love. 

 

Pop is a source of stability and love in Jojo's turbulent life. His unwavering love supersedes his tough and reserved exterior, as seen when Jojo is about to leave, and he can see that Pop’s eyes are sending the message, "I love you, boy. I love you" (Ward 61). Pop's love serves as a lifeline for Jojo, who is neglected and ignored by Leonie, grounding him in a world that often seems unraveling.

 

The most impactful love story in the novel is that of Michaela and Leonie, a tumultuous relationship marred by complexities and imperfections. Their love is passionate and intense, symbolized by the quote, "...his arms wrapped around her like a tangled sheet, tighter and tighter, until they deemed one thing standing there, one person instead of two" (Ward 125). This quote encapsulates the merging of two individuals into a singular entity, a love so intense that it blurs the lines between them. As they become one in that moment, they transcend their fights and struggles - simply because they love each other.

 

In contrast, the relationship between Jojo and Kayla is a testament to the unbreakable bond of sibling and familial love. Their nurturing connection is seen as "They sleep as one: Michaela wraps herself around Jojo…" (Ward 151). Here, the emphasis is not on romantic love but on siblings' protective and nurturing love. They, too, become “one,” highlighting an interesting parallel between them and their parents.

"Sing, Unburied, Sing" is a story of a family grappling with the weight of their past and the harshness of the present. Through Pop's unwavering love, Michael and Leonie's complicated yet almost redeeming relationship, and Jojo and Kayla's inseparable bond, the novel beautifully illustrates that love has the power to transcend even the most challenging circumstances.

Love, imperfect as it may be, is the force that sustains us and gives us the strength to endure. It is a reminder that, even when confronted with the darkest circumstances, love remains a beacon of hope that unites, sustains, and ultimately triumphs.