What makes someone a good parent? Is it material things, lots of money, love? Throughout the novel, ‘Sing, Unburied, Sing’, it is continually told to the audience explicitly and implicitly that Kayla and Jojo’s parents are not the two people who gave birth to them. It is clear that the dynamic between Pop and Mam and Jojo, or Jojo and Kayla is more similar to parent and child than Leonie, Michael, and Jojo ever were.
Before Leonie and the kids go off to Parchman to pick Michael up, we get an insight into how Jojo feels about his family. His adoration for Pop is evident even within the first few pages while they are preparing a goat for Jojo’s birthday dinner. Jojo wants ‘Pop to know I can get bloody’(Ward 1) because he looks up to him as the man of the household, and as his father figure. Pop is always a steady figure in Jojo’s life to turn to, and always supports him in various ways such as preparing the goat for his birthday dinner, taking care of him and Kayla, and trying to teach him about the dangers of the world through his stories of Richie.
Unlike Jojo’s relationship with Pop, his relationship with Leonie and Michael (especially Leonie) is complicated and messy. As a reader, we get a bigger picture of what is going on due to the varying perspectives in the novel, but it is still very difficult to empathize with Leonie at times. Leonie talks about the day that Jojo stopped calling her mom and that when he calls her by her name ‘it sounds like a slap’(Ward 43). This goes to show the disconnect between mother and son. While the group of four(Leonie, Jojo, Misty, and Kayla) is on the way to Parchman, Jojo and Kayla get hungry and thirsty, and Kayla starts to get sick. Instead of being a caring mother, Leonie continually chooses herself(and Michael even though he isn’t there yet) over her children. She buys herself a coke, but refuses to let Jojo get himself something even though he is thirsty. Contrastly, later on in the book Kayla is upset and wants candy. Jojo is hungry, but with the little money that they have, he buys her a sucker. At only 13, Jojo is sacrificing his basic needs for his baby sister's wants, when his own mother can’t give up a dollar to give him a drink.
The differences in the relationships that are supposed to be mother and child, and what are more parent and child are evident. Leonie is the biggest indicator of a failed parent, with her raging drug addiction and apathy towards her children. What makes someone a good parent is someone who tries, and someone who loves.
Community is a huge part of Sing, Unburied, Sing. Jojo and Kayla's community provides them with the support, guidance, and opportunities they need to grow. Pop and Mam, Jojo and Kayla's grandparents, are the heart of their community. They give them a loving home and teach them about their family history and culture. For example, when Jojo is sick, Pop stays up all night taking care of him. Mam also uses her healing powers to try to cure Kayla's illness. Even when Jojo and Kayla make mistakes, Pop and Mam are there for them. For example, Pop gives Jojo his favorite knife, even though it's a valuable heirloom.
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Overall, community is essential for the well-being of Jojo and Kayla. It provides them with the support, guidance, and opportunities they need to thrive.