The novel Sing, Unburied, Sing is a story that follows the journey of a mixed-race family in rural Mississippi, and aims to discuss topics prevalent not only in areas similar to rural Mississippi, but all across America. Although not unconnected, key issues that have been introduced and illustrated throughout the book are struggles with race, identity, community, and poverty. However, an interesting theme that is found throughout the book and intertwined within each issue are cycles.
Throughout the novel, readers see cycles of poverty, drug abuse, parental abuse, and racial divides that permeate generations. Due to the style of writing that follows the struggles of each individual character, readers are left to put together and understand the struggles that Jojo, Leonie, Richie, and other characters experience that stem from generational poverty, drug abuse, racial injustice, and parental abuse. On the topic of racial cycles, Michael is the first in his family to “break” his family’s attitudes towards African Americans, in a town where racism is true and alive. Michael’s own father is painted as a true racist, separating himself from Leonie and his grandchildren, Jojo and Kayla, saying, “I told you they don’t belong here. Told you to sleep with no n* b*” (Ward, 194).
When the police pulls over Leonie and Michael, Jojo is only 13 years old, but this scene shows the deep-rooted prejudice found in the town. “Jojo raises his arms to a cross. The officer barks at him, the sound raw and carrying in the air, and Jojo shakes his head without pausing and staggers when the officer kicks his legs apart, the gun a little lower now, but still pointing to the middle of his back…Now on his knees, the gun is pointed at [Jojo’s] head” (Ward, 98). This scene, among others, show the difficulty of escaping generational prejudice that can be found in rural areas because not only is Leonie in a relationship with Michael, who’s family has shown utter disgust towards Leonie due to her skin color, but she herself is in a never-ending cycle of drug abuse and generational poverty- for Jojo, Kayla, and Leonie, there is no escape.
Leonie’s relationship with Michael is another example of cycles that she cannot escape. Michael has shown to be unreliable, unstable, and addicted to drugs- Leonie has also shown the same and is attached to the hip to the instability. As seen from different scenes, Leonie shows no hope of escaping, with or without Michael, “I pull out the pack and Michael looks as if he wants to turn and run—and…its the drug and then its not the drug” (Ward, 89).
I agree that Ward emphasizes generational cycles in her novel. I feel Richie’s point of view is included to demonstrate how although he lived around sixty years before Jojo, his experiences of racism and poverty are still very much prevalent in the current day. Like Richie would have been killed by a mob for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Given was killed by a vicious teen for no reason other than the teen lost a bet. Also, the cop who pulls the group over didn’t handcuff Misty, a white woman, but instead let her hold Kayla who wasn’t even her child.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do not think Leonie and Michael will escape these cycles you described, I wonder if Jojo and Kayla can break some in their lifetime. I feel like Ward paints Jojo as hope, both to his grandparents and Kayla. Something that stuck out to me was that when Pop described the pain and guilt he felt over Richie’s death, he said “Didn’t nothing come close to easing it until you came along” (Ward, p. 257). Although he is still young and has endured so much, Jojo seems to be on a better path than his parents. We never hear of Jojo abusing Kayla, and he also doesn’t feel the urge to do it like Leonie does. He is also not interested in trying drugs at this point in his life.
Ward, J. (2018). Sing, unburied, sing. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC.