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For the Life of Laetitia
ABOUT MERLE HODGE
MAIN SUMMARY
The novel is literally about the life of Laetitia, the protagonist, over two terms of high school. The reader sees her leaving the comfort of her maternal home to live with a father that she does not know. This is to facilitate her smooth transition to the La Puerta High School. The novel charts her growth and development through the rocky relationship that she has with her father, as well as the issues that come with forming and maintaining friendships at her new school. The novel ends on a hopeful note that Laetitia, with the support of her family, will weather any further storms that she encounters.
SETTING
CHARACTERS
Laetitia/ Lacy
Anjanee Jugmohansingh
Wilhemina Johnson/ Ma
Ma Zelline
Orville Cephas
Miss Velma
Uncle Leroy
Michael Cephas
Kenwyn, Charlene & Ruth
Mrs. Lopez
- Merle Hodge is a Trinidadian novelist who was born in 1944.
- She received both her elementary and high school education in Trinidad.
- She attended the University College, London.
- more ...
MAIN SUMMARY
The novel is literally about the life of Laetitia, the protagonist, over two terms of high school. The reader sees her leaving the comfort of her maternal home to live with a father that she does not know. This is to facilitate her smooth transition to the La Puerta High School. The novel charts her growth and development through the rocky relationship that she has with her father, as well as the issues that come with forming and maintaining friendships at her new school. The novel ends on a hopeful note that Laetitia, with the support of her family, will weather any further storms that she encounters.
SETTING
- The story is set in Trinidad.
- A big part of the story occurs in the city, La Puerta, where the protagonist attends school and lives with her father.
- It also occurs in the rural area, where the protagonist lives with her grandmother and extended family.
- The atmosphere among the extended family is pleasant and filled with familial support and love, despite the economic challenges that they face.
- The atmosphere among
CHARACTERS
Laetitia/ Lacy
- The protagonist of the story.
- She tries to live up to the expectations of her extended family.
- She experiences a drastic change when she relocates to her father's home, where she is controlled and treated like a trophy.
- She eventually suffers from a mental breakdown, based on many factors, the most significant being her toxic relationship with her father, and is allowed to return home.
- She is a good sister to her little brother and very patient with her little cousins.
- She is a good friend to Anjanee, who she consistently helps with her school work and encourages.
Anjanee Jugmohansingh
- Laetitia's friend who encourages her to do her work and listens to her complain about her toxic relationship with her father.
- She also lives in a toxic environment, where her dream of being a good student is unacknowledged and unsupported.
- Her mother is subjugated within the household and Anjanee is in the same situation. She is expected to help her mother with the household chores and selling.
- Initially, Anjanee is optimistic and enthusiastic, but as two terms filled with fatigue from her commute, lack of text books, absences due to lack of financial support from her brothers and illness draw to a close, she commits suicide.
Wilhemina Johnson/ Ma
- Laetitia's grandmother and legal guardian.
- She is the matriarch of her home, she is in charge.
- She loves and takes care of all her grandchildren, an example of which is when she went to collect Charlene to spend the holiday with the family, despite Charlene's mother's objection.
- She is very protective of Laetitia, as seen when she checks on how Laetitia is being treated at her father's house.
Ma Zelline
- Ma Zelline is Patsey's, (Laetitia's mother) godmother and Ma's best friend.
- She is an independent lady who never got married and lives in her 'batchie', aka bachelor pad.
- She is an insightful lady who listens and is able to give good advice.
- She foreshadowed that Anjanee would do something to herself if her situation did not change.
Orville Cephas
- Laetitia's father.
- He did not have a relationship with his daughter, prior to her passing her Common Entrance Examination.
- He is extremely proud of her accomplishment, gaining a place at the secondary school in La Puerta, and brags to everyone.
- He wants a relationship with his daughter, but goes about forming that relationship by trying to control her.
- He does not foster a healthy relationship with his nuclear family because he is not at home a lot and does not parent, cohesively, with his wife.
Miss Velma
- Orville Cephas' wife.
- Laetitia's step mother.
- She supports Laetitia in her academic endeavors because she was pulled from secondary school to accommodate her brother.
- She is accommodating to Laetitia, until she starts to misbehave at school.
- Her relationship with her husband is strained and conventional. She is always waiting for him to come home and serving him.
Uncle Leroy
- Laetitia's uncle, who is like a father and big brother, simultaneously, to her.
- He is Charlene's father and Ma's son.
- He speaks to Laetitia like an adult, and opens her eyes to the reality of her extended family's financial situation.
Michael Cephas
- Laetitia's little half brother.
- Initially, he is rude, disobedient and messy, but with Laetitia's help, he transforms into a loveable little boy, at least for her.
Kenwyn, Charlene & Ruth
- Laetitia's little cousins.
Mrs. Lopez
- Laetitia and Anjanee's Math teacher.
- She is very unprofessional in the classroom.
summary
*These chapter summaries are organized in the 'natural' chapter breaks in the book. Since there are no formal chapters, we recommend that you create them and follow along with us.
1. Laetitia and her father travel along the Trace in his car. Her father is very proud because she is to attend a government high school based on her performance in the Common Entrance Examination. They passed a lady who asked for a ride and Laetitia feels ashamed when they passed her because she knew that they were going to the same destination. Laetitia's father was taking her to La Puerta to stay with his family. His wife, Velma, would help her with school. Laetitia was the first in her family to go to secondary school and the family celebrated when her name appeared in the newspaper, on a Sunday.
2. Laetitia did not have a relationship with her father. It was a surprise when he visited her home, requesting that she stay with his family in La Puerta, since she would be attending secondary school there. Ma questions him and says that she will consult the family, including Laetitia's mother, and get back to him.
3. The family meets to decide if Laetitia should live with her father and his family. Everyone gets a say, even her mother in New York, as well as Laetitia herself. It is a yes, all around.
4. Ma takes Laetitia to register at her new school. Mrs. Lopez, a teacher, is very unprofessional to her and another teacher, a male, had to take over the registration. Mrs. Lopez' issue is that Laetitia does not have her father's name and address. Laetitia and Ma visit Ma Zelline, where Ma gets to vent about her bad experience at the school. They leave with gifts of cake, plants, flowers and a book for Laetitia, for passing her exams.
5. Ma allowed Orville, Laetitia's father, to pick up Laetitia a week before the start of school. Uncle Leroy ensured that she cleaned up her garden before she left. The younger children helped Laetitia for a while, but then moved on to the big garden, then vise versa. Uncle Leroy encouraged her to pack some of the produce, from her little garden, to take to her father's home. They pack the box of produce and Laetitia basks in the love of her family.
6. Laetitia meets Miss Velma and she is to share a room with her little brother, who is very messy. After organizing the room, she finally meets Michael, who behaves very ill-mannerly and calls her lettuce. Miss Velma, Michael's mother, does not appear to be able to control Michael, but Laetitia intends to straighten him out. Orville leaves after he drops Laetitia to her new home.
7. Orville came home late that night and Velma waits up for him, with her Daily Word as her companion. She wakes Laetitia early Sunday morning to walk to church with her. They sneak back into the house because the males in the house are still asleep. Aunt Velma then heads to the kitchen and all other activities surround Mr. Cephas, one of which is the radio being turned down until he wakes up. Mr. Cephas leaves and they have to wait on him to return, in order to eat lunch, and Michael is unsupervised and comes home to eat. Mr. Cephas returns home, accompanied by friends, and shows off his daughter to his friends, while his wife is ignored. Laetitia helped Miss Velma to clean up the next morning.
8. Miss Velma took Laetitia shopping for school supplies and material for her school uniform. She had money left over and bought material for extra dresses. Miss Velma also took Laetitia to different parts of town to familiarize her to her new setting. Laetitia began to train Michael on how to share his space and even got him to bathe. His reward was a story.
9. It is the first day of school and the principal addresses the students in the big hall. The students are partnered and Laetitia is partnered with Anjanee Jugmohansingh, who reminds her of her cousin's (Charlene) mother, Tara. They are introduced to the school by their form teacher and the girls stick together, they even eat lunch outside together. Anjanee is ashamed of her lunch because it is roti and takari, but Laetitia makes her feel better about it because they are from a similar economic background.
10. Anjanee is late for school and has no Geography or Spanish book. Mrs. Lopez, from the registration day, is their Math teacher and their Spanish teacher is Mr. Lopez, both are bad teachers. Anjanee was too tired to participate in Math class and she had no P.E clothes, but she tried to participate despite this setback. Heavy rains fell this morning, so many children were late, including Anjanee. The friends found a spot outside, despite the wetness. Anjanee insisted that they eat outside because she remained ashamed of her lunch. The girls then returned to class, where Anjanee fell asleep.
11. Anjanee missed school on Thursday. Social Studies class consisted of learning about different types of families, but there was no sensitivity, in the teacher's instructions, about the different types of families that her students were a part of, in her class. Laetitia did not appreciate this class because the teacher insulted her extended family, but she enjoyed Literature class, where they were introduced to Anansi, instead of Greek mythology. The teacher exposed the students to their culture and forced them to see why they would laugh at La Diabless and not at Cyclops.
12. Laetitia is very happy that she is going home. She asked Anjanee why she was absent on Thursday and she said that she missed the bus. They walk to the bus stop after school, but Anjanee is sad. She believes that the men in her family don't want her to go to school and they don't want to spend money on her. Laetitia proudly returns home and is greeted with joy and love, even by the animals. She stays up late, telling her family all about her life at school and living with the Cephas'. The rest of the family visited on Sunday and took pictures of Laetitia in her uniform. As she is getting ready to leave she gets sad. Ma questions her regarding the treatment that she receives at her father's house.
13. Anjanee didn't talk about herself anymore. Laetitia's response is to tell her that she is ashamed of being poor. Anjanee finally spoke: the men in her household won't give any money to attend school and her mother had no money to give her. The men in her family believe that she has had enough schooling and should stay home and help her mother. Her mother cannot help her because she is uneducated and invisible in her household.
14. Michael behaved himself for Laetitia. She controls him through stories, but he still did not stay home a lot. The reader learns that Michael could not read and Mr. Cephas tried to help him, with disasterous results. He also took an interest in Laetitia's education, but he could not help her so he just observed her with satisfaction.
15. Laetitia thought that the weekends were too short and wanted to stretch it out by leaving on Mondays. Ma said no, she had to leave on Sundays. Laetitia received a letter from her mother one Friday. Patsy wanted assurance that Laetitia was being treated well and informed Laetitia that she too was attending school. Patsy used to help Ma to make the products as well as sell them, but Ma did not want Laetitia to help her, she wants Laetitia to study.
16. The students were banned from visiting the plaza, but some students from Laetitia's class were disobedient and Doreen Sandiford's gang and Marlon Peter's gang make significant contributions to the class, regarding disruptive and entertaining behaviour. The reading of The Year in San Fernando was intriguing for the class because it was a story about them, but Math class was the opposite. The class received a tongue lashing because Anjanee dared to request an explanation and Laetitia tried to help.
17. The students displayed their anger in the next class and their teacher, Mr. Tawari, had to quiet them down. Then a student disrupted the class, due to a dead cockroach, and Marlon Peter's gang was blamed for it, except the Indian members.
18. Laetitia taught Michael to read and encouraged him and he became a neater and quieter boy over time. Laetitia was teaching him to was dishes one day and Mr. Cephas made a serious fuss about it. He threatened to hit his wife and instructed Michael to disobey his mother if he was asked to wash the dishes again. He ended up beating Michael when he did not read well for him that day. Later in the day, Miss Velma called Laetitia into her room to look at pictures and told her that a woman's role is to please her husband. She refuses Laetitia's help and told her to complete her school work. She then told Laetitia that she was pulled from secondary school, despite being a bright girl, so that her brother could attend school.
19. Anjanee's classmates had a special love for her and tried to protect her, especially from their Math teacher, Mrs. Lopez, who bullied her. She tried really hard at school, but things were getting very difficult for her and she was thinking of giving up. The class was very angry at Mrs. Lopez' treatment of Anjanee, which compounded her feelings of inadequacy regarding her school work, and put up a last stand, which was led by Laetitia. She threatened to call the principal, but it never happened.
20. Mr. Tawarie did not go to the principal, but went to Miss Hafeez, who came to speak to the class. She was alarmed by the racially charged arguments/ discussion that occurred.
21. Mr. Cephas refuses to give Laetitia bus fare to go home. She was told on Friday morning and a message was already sent to her extended family. She decided to visit Ma Zalline, since she could not go home, and they discussed Anjanee's situation. Ma Zalline sympathized with Anjanee's plight and Laetitia made plans to help her friend catch up and prepare for her test.
22. Laetitia is at home the following Friday and Mr. Cephas arrives home early. Laetitia believes that he is there to ensure that she stays home. He finally leaves on Saturday and she plans to visit Ma Zalline again.
23. Laetitia visits Ma Zalline and tells her all about school. Ma Zalline sympathizes with Anjanee's situation and Laetitia vents her frustration at having to stay with her father on the weekends. Ma Zalline offers good advice about persevering in the face of trials.
24. Mid term tests begin. Anjanee was late and the Spanish teacher was not paying attention, so Laetitia let Anjanee cheat off her paper. Anjanee was so afraid of the Math test that she vomited before the test started. Mrs. Lopez returned with the test papers and shamed her failing students, including Anjanee, and praised Laetitia for doing exceptionally well.
24. Mr. Cephas usually arrives home late, but he came home early on Thursday. He asked to speak to her, but he was verbally rough and told her that he would no longer be sending her home on the weekends and she had to help Miss Velma around the house.
25. Laetitia is at home for another weekend. She deliberately failed her Math tests and Anjanee was threatening to drop out of school. Laetitia stayed back and tutored Anjanee and she slowly improved.
26. Laetitia realizes that her dad did not intend to give her bus fare to go home again. She wrote a letter to Ma, who told her to stay until the Christmas holidays and enclosed emergency bus fair. She got in trouble at school and articulated her complaints to a teacher. The teacher warned her to straighten up or her parents will be informed. Mr. Cephas spotted her at the bus stop with Anjanee and told her she is stop associating with coolies and leave school on time.
27. Laetitia still tried to help Anjanee, despite the fact that they had to study in Spanish class and during lunch. Laetitia also succeeded in frustrating her Math teacher, but not Mr. Cephas because he refused to let her go. She decided to buckle down, near the end of the term, so that she could take home a good report for Ma.
28. Christmas was in the air and Mr. Cephas was in high spirits. He asked Laetitia if she would be spending Christmas with him and she said no, then he offered to drive her home. A class party was organized and Anjanee almost didn't go because she had no money to contribute an item. The teacher told her to take limes, so she went and they all had a great time. Anjanee and Laetitia giggled about the party, at the bus stop, and made plans to study because, according to Laetitia, she would be living with her extended family so she will be taking the bus with Anjanee. Mr. Cephas sees Laetitia's report card, when she gets home, and is very excited. The only thing that upset him was the fact that the report was addressed to Laetitia's grandmother and not him.
29. Laetitia sees her home with new eyes, she realizes that her home is shabby and that she is poor. Her uncle Leroy solidifies this fact when he declares that Laetitia is a fool to want to stay at their home and leave the luxuries of her father's house. The family cleans up the house and Ma refuses Laetitia's idea of returning home.
30. All the family gathered at Ma's house, even if they had to walk. The family cleaned the house and all the children got a washout. This is a family tradition. Ma leaves for La Puerta, all the while mumbling about Leroy's half Indian child that he cannot see.
31. Ma returns with Charlene. She arrives with news that Ma Zalline had a fall and probably would not be at her house/ batchie anymore. The children went to bed and listened to the adults celebrate.
32. Christmas was wonderful, but sadness overcame Laetitia at the thought of returning to La Puerta.
33. Mr. Cephas came to pick up Laetitia and Ma and Papa speak to him about his responsibilities, regarding Laetitia and they give him produce to take home. Orville's response was to lecture and curse Laetitia all the way home. The 'discussion' was about ungratefulness and respect.
34. Laetitia learns that the Cephas' holiday was awful, due to her absence. Miss Velma updates Laetitia about her father and brother's sadness. Her father's sadness was based on his lack of control over her and the relationship between Laetitia and Velma seems to have changed.
35. Anjanee is absent on the first day of the new school year. She was absent on the second day of school as well and Laetitia was sad. She was also sad about the thought of not going home on the weekend and only the thought of going home for carnival makes her happy. In Anjanee's absence, Laetitia ate with the rude girls. Then Anjanee returned.
36. Anjanee is overworked at home and cannot function at school. She tries to help her friend by suggesting that they cut Spanish class to study, and Laetitia starts to deliberately arrive home late, in protest. In order to be late, Laetitia either stayed late at the bus stop, with Anjanee, or walked past Ma Zelline's house, or both.
37. Laetitia began 'skulling' or absenting herself from class, not submitting work and going to the plaza with Doreen's gang. She thought it would be good to teach her father a lesson if she failed, but she also had it in mind to 'catch up' for mid term, to have good grades to take home to her grandmother.
38. Laetitia and the members of Doreen's gang were at the plaza and nearly got caught by Mr. Tewarie. After that near miss, she decided to straighten up and started to study.
39. She was suspended, based on her visit to the plaza, and decided to take the letter to Miss Velma. She convinced Miss Velma to go to the meeting, as her guardian, and to not tell Mr. Cephas.
40. Mrs. Cephas goes and signs the letter, but Mr. Cephas comes home early and confronts them about the deceit. Miss Velma talks to Laetitia and told her to go home, before anything worst happens.
41. Anjanee was very disappointed in her friend. She thinks that she failed the mid terms and did not go home for carnival because she had disappointed them. She did not join the carnival festivities or the street festivities.
42. Anjanee encouraged her friend to do her work and attend classes, but Anjanee is the one to worry about because she looked ill. She was taking her medicine but could not get the rest of the medication that was recommended. She fainted in assembly one morning.
43. Laetitia was very worried about Anjanee's absence from school and Mrs. Lopez chose the wrong day to critique her relationship with Anjanee. Laetitia was very disrespectful to her, by telling Mrs. Lopez about her mother. She got another letter to take home. She had to give this letter to her grandmother because Mr. Cephas refused to deal with any shameful, or disgraceful, school matters. As Laetitia was leaving school, she heard the terrible news that Anjanee drank poison and died.
44. Miss Velma gave Laetitia medicine for her runny nose, then left for the market. Laetitia told her that she would bathe, then she searched for the pills. She realized that it was the first day of her period, coupled with a second suspension and the death of her friend. She started screaming in the bathroom, until she passed out.
45. Laetitia had a mental breakdown. She came from the hospital and Ma and her family took care of her by talking to her. She shook herself out of her depression slowly and really came around when she heard that Charlene might not be able to visit for Easter. Everyone was shocked when she got up and left her room.
46. Plans were made for Laetitia's return to school. Her father would pay tuition and buy her books, and nothing else. The extended family made plans for the thanksgiving holiday and Laetitia felt as if she was taking up Anjanee's life.
1. Laetitia and her father travel along the Trace in his car. Her father is very proud because she is to attend a government high school based on her performance in the Common Entrance Examination. They passed a lady who asked for a ride and Laetitia feels ashamed when they passed her because she knew that they were going to the same destination. Laetitia's father was taking her to La Puerta to stay with his family. His wife, Velma, would help her with school. Laetitia was the first in her family to go to secondary school and the family celebrated when her name appeared in the newspaper, on a Sunday.
2. Laetitia did not have a relationship with her father. It was a surprise when he visited her home, requesting that she stay with his family in La Puerta, since she would be attending secondary school there. Ma questions him and says that she will consult the family, including Laetitia's mother, and get back to him.
3. The family meets to decide if Laetitia should live with her father and his family. Everyone gets a say, even her mother in New York, as well as Laetitia herself. It is a yes, all around.
4. Ma takes Laetitia to register at her new school. Mrs. Lopez, a teacher, is very unprofessional to her and another teacher, a male, had to take over the registration. Mrs. Lopez' issue is that Laetitia does not have her father's name and address. Laetitia and Ma visit Ma Zelline, where Ma gets to vent about her bad experience at the school. They leave with gifts of cake, plants, flowers and a book for Laetitia, for passing her exams.
5. Ma allowed Orville, Laetitia's father, to pick up Laetitia a week before the start of school. Uncle Leroy ensured that she cleaned up her garden before she left. The younger children helped Laetitia for a while, but then moved on to the big garden, then vise versa. Uncle Leroy encouraged her to pack some of the produce, from her little garden, to take to her father's home. They pack the box of produce and Laetitia basks in the love of her family.
6. Laetitia meets Miss Velma and she is to share a room with her little brother, who is very messy. After organizing the room, she finally meets Michael, who behaves very ill-mannerly and calls her lettuce. Miss Velma, Michael's mother, does not appear to be able to control Michael, but Laetitia intends to straighten him out. Orville leaves after he drops Laetitia to her new home.
7. Orville came home late that night and Velma waits up for him, with her Daily Word as her companion. She wakes Laetitia early Sunday morning to walk to church with her. They sneak back into the house because the males in the house are still asleep. Aunt Velma then heads to the kitchen and all other activities surround Mr. Cephas, one of which is the radio being turned down until he wakes up. Mr. Cephas leaves and they have to wait on him to return, in order to eat lunch, and Michael is unsupervised and comes home to eat. Mr. Cephas returns home, accompanied by friends, and shows off his daughter to his friends, while his wife is ignored. Laetitia helped Miss Velma to clean up the next morning.
8. Miss Velma took Laetitia shopping for school supplies and material for her school uniform. She had money left over and bought material for extra dresses. Miss Velma also took Laetitia to different parts of town to familiarize her to her new setting. Laetitia began to train Michael on how to share his space and even got him to bathe. His reward was a story.
9. It is the first day of school and the principal addresses the students in the big hall. The students are partnered and Laetitia is partnered with Anjanee Jugmohansingh, who reminds her of her cousin's (Charlene) mother, Tara. They are introduced to the school by their form teacher and the girls stick together, they even eat lunch outside together. Anjanee is ashamed of her lunch because it is roti and takari, but Laetitia makes her feel better about it because they are from a similar economic background.
10. Anjanee is late for school and has no Geography or Spanish book. Mrs. Lopez, from the registration day, is their Math teacher and their Spanish teacher is Mr. Lopez, both are bad teachers. Anjanee was too tired to participate in Math class and she had no P.E clothes, but she tried to participate despite this setback. Heavy rains fell this morning, so many children were late, including Anjanee. The friends found a spot outside, despite the wetness. Anjanee insisted that they eat outside because she remained ashamed of her lunch. The girls then returned to class, where Anjanee fell asleep.
11. Anjanee missed school on Thursday. Social Studies class consisted of learning about different types of families, but there was no sensitivity, in the teacher's instructions, about the different types of families that her students were a part of, in her class. Laetitia did not appreciate this class because the teacher insulted her extended family, but she enjoyed Literature class, where they were introduced to Anansi, instead of Greek mythology. The teacher exposed the students to their culture and forced them to see why they would laugh at La Diabless and not at Cyclops.
12. Laetitia is very happy that she is going home. She asked Anjanee why she was absent on Thursday and she said that she missed the bus. They walk to the bus stop after school, but Anjanee is sad. She believes that the men in her family don't want her to go to school and they don't want to spend money on her. Laetitia proudly returns home and is greeted with joy and love, even by the animals. She stays up late, telling her family all about her life at school and living with the Cephas'. The rest of the family visited on Sunday and took pictures of Laetitia in her uniform. As she is getting ready to leave she gets sad. Ma questions her regarding the treatment that she receives at her father's house.
13. Anjanee didn't talk about herself anymore. Laetitia's response is to tell her that she is ashamed of being poor. Anjanee finally spoke: the men in her household won't give any money to attend school and her mother had no money to give her. The men in her family believe that she has had enough schooling and should stay home and help her mother. Her mother cannot help her because she is uneducated and invisible in her household.
14. Michael behaved himself for Laetitia. She controls him through stories, but he still did not stay home a lot. The reader learns that Michael could not read and Mr. Cephas tried to help him, with disasterous results. He also took an interest in Laetitia's education, but he could not help her so he just observed her with satisfaction.
15. Laetitia thought that the weekends were too short and wanted to stretch it out by leaving on Mondays. Ma said no, she had to leave on Sundays. Laetitia received a letter from her mother one Friday. Patsy wanted assurance that Laetitia was being treated well and informed Laetitia that she too was attending school. Patsy used to help Ma to make the products as well as sell them, but Ma did not want Laetitia to help her, she wants Laetitia to study.
16. The students were banned from visiting the plaza, but some students from Laetitia's class were disobedient and Doreen Sandiford's gang and Marlon Peter's gang make significant contributions to the class, regarding disruptive and entertaining behaviour. The reading of The Year in San Fernando was intriguing for the class because it was a story about them, but Math class was the opposite. The class received a tongue lashing because Anjanee dared to request an explanation and Laetitia tried to help.
17. The students displayed their anger in the next class and their teacher, Mr. Tawari, had to quiet them down. Then a student disrupted the class, due to a dead cockroach, and Marlon Peter's gang was blamed for it, except the Indian members.
18. Laetitia taught Michael to read and encouraged him and he became a neater and quieter boy over time. Laetitia was teaching him to was dishes one day and Mr. Cephas made a serious fuss about it. He threatened to hit his wife and instructed Michael to disobey his mother if he was asked to wash the dishes again. He ended up beating Michael when he did not read well for him that day. Later in the day, Miss Velma called Laetitia into her room to look at pictures and told her that a woman's role is to please her husband. She refuses Laetitia's help and told her to complete her school work. She then told Laetitia that she was pulled from secondary school, despite being a bright girl, so that her brother could attend school.
19. Anjanee's classmates had a special love for her and tried to protect her, especially from their Math teacher, Mrs. Lopez, who bullied her. She tried really hard at school, but things were getting very difficult for her and she was thinking of giving up. The class was very angry at Mrs. Lopez' treatment of Anjanee, which compounded her feelings of inadequacy regarding her school work, and put up a last stand, which was led by Laetitia. She threatened to call the principal, but it never happened.
20. Mr. Tawarie did not go to the principal, but went to Miss Hafeez, who came to speak to the class. She was alarmed by the racially charged arguments/ discussion that occurred.
21. Mr. Cephas refuses to give Laetitia bus fare to go home. She was told on Friday morning and a message was already sent to her extended family. She decided to visit Ma Zalline, since she could not go home, and they discussed Anjanee's situation. Ma Zalline sympathized with Anjanee's plight and Laetitia made plans to help her friend catch up and prepare for her test.
22. Laetitia is at home the following Friday and Mr. Cephas arrives home early. Laetitia believes that he is there to ensure that she stays home. He finally leaves on Saturday and she plans to visit Ma Zalline again.
23. Laetitia visits Ma Zalline and tells her all about school. Ma Zalline sympathizes with Anjanee's situation and Laetitia vents her frustration at having to stay with her father on the weekends. Ma Zalline offers good advice about persevering in the face of trials.
24. Mid term tests begin. Anjanee was late and the Spanish teacher was not paying attention, so Laetitia let Anjanee cheat off her paper. Anjanee was so afraid of the Math test that she vomited before the test started. Mrs. Lopez returned with the test papers and shamed her failing students, including Anjanee, and praised Laetitia for doing exceptionally well.
24. Mr. Cephas usually arrives home late, but he came home early on Thursday. He asked to speak to her, but he was verbally rough and told her that he would no longer be sending her home on the weekends and she had to help Miss Velma around the house.
25. Laetitia is at home for another weekend. She deliberately failed her Math tests and Anjanee was threatening to drop out of school. Laetitia stayed back and tutored Anjanee and she slowly improved.
26. Laetitia realizes that her dad did not intend to give her bus fare to go home again. She wrote a letter to Ma, who told her to stay until the Christmas holidays and enclosed emergency bus fair. She got in trouble at school and articulated her complaints to a teacher. The teacher warned her to straighten up or her parents will be informed. Mr. Cephas spotted her at the bus stop with Anjanee and told her she is stop associating with coolies and leave school on time.
27. Laetitia still tried to help Anjanee, despite the fact that they had to study in Spanish class and during lunch. Laetitia also succeeded in frustrating her Math teacher, but not Mr. Cephas because he refused to let her go. She decided to buckle down, near the end of the term, so that she could take home a good report for Ma.
28. Christmas was in the air and Mr. Cephas was in high spirits. He asked Laetitia if she would be spending Christmas with him and she said no, then he offered to drive her home. A class party was organized and Anjanee almost didn't go because she had no money to contribute an item. The teacher told her to take limes, so she went and they all had a great time. Anjanee and Laetitia giggled about the party, at the bus stop, and made plans to study because, according to Laetitia, she would be living with her extended family so she will be taking the bus with Anjanee. Mr. Cephas sees Laetitia's report card, when she gets home, and is very excited. The only thing that upset him was the fact that the report was addressed to Laetitia's grandmother and not him.
29. Laetitia sees her home with new eyes, she realizes that her home is shabby and that she is poor. Her uncle Leroy solidifies this fact when he declares that Laetitia is a fool to want to stay at their home and leave the luxuries of her father's house. The family cleans up the house and Ma refuses Laetitia's idea of returning home.
30. All the family gathered at Ma's house, even if they had to walk. The family cleaned the house and all the children got a washout. This is a family tradition. Ma leaves for La Puerta, all the while mumbling about Leroy's half Indian child that he cannot see.
31. Ma returns with Charlene. She arrives with news that Ma Zalline had a fall and probably would not be at her house/ batchie anymore. The children went to bed and listened to the adults celebrate.
32. Christmas was wonderful, but sadness overcame Laetitia at the thought of returning to La Puerta.
33. Mr. Cephas came to pick up Laetitia and Ma and Papa speak to him about his responsibilities, regarding Laetitia and they give him produce to take home. Orville's response was to lecture and curse Laetitia all the way home. The 'discussion' was about ungratefulness and respect.
34. Laetitia learns that the Cephas' holiday was awful, due to her absence. Miss Velma updates Laetitia about her father and brother's sadness. Her father's sadness was based on his lack of control over her and the relationship between Laetitia and Velma seems to have changed.
35. Anjanee is absent on the first day of the new school year. She was absent on the second day of school as well and Laetitia was sad. She was also sad about the thought of not going home on the weekend and only the thought of going home for carnival makes her happy. In Anjanee's absence, Laetitia ate with the rude girls. Then Anjanee returned.
36. Anjanee is overworked at home and cannot function at school. She tries to help her friend by suggesting that they cut Spanish class to study, and Laetitia starts to deliberately arrive home late, in protest. In order to be late, Laetitia either stayed late at the bus stop, with Anjanee, or walked past Ma Zelline's house, or both.
37. Laetitia began 'skulling' or absenting herself from class, not submitting work and going to the plaza with Doreen's gang. She thought it would be good to teach her father a lesson if she failed, but she also had it in mind to 'catch up' for mid term, to have good grades to take home to her grandmother.
38. Laetitia and the members of Doreen's gang were at the plaza and nearly got caught by Mr. Tewarie. After that near miss, she decided to straighten up and started to study.
39. She was suspended, based on her visit to the plaza, and decided to take the letter to Miss Velma. She convinced Miss Velma to go to the meeting, as her guardian, and to not tell Mr. Cephas.
40. Mrs. Cephas goes and signs the letter, but Mr. Cephas comes home early and confronts them about the deceit. Miss Velma talks to Laetitia and told her to go home, before anything worst happens.
41. Anjanee was very disappointed in her friend. She thinks that she failed the mid terms and did not go home for carnival because she had disappointed them. She did not join the carnival festivities or the street festivities.
42. Anjanee encouraged her friend to do her work and attend classes, but Anjanee is the one to worry about because she looked ill. She was taking her medicine but could not get the rest of the medication that was recommended. She fainted in assembly one morning.
43. Laetitia was very worried about Anjanee's absence from school and Mrs. Lopez chose the wrong day to critique her relationship with Anjanee. Laetitia was very disrespectful to her, by telling Mrs. Lopez about her mother. She got another letter to take home. She had to give this letter to her grandmother because Mr. Cephas refused to deal with any shameful, or disgraceful, school matters. As Laetitia was leaving school, she heard the terrible news that Anjanee drank poison and died.
44. Miss Velma gave Laetitia medicine for her runny nose, then left for the market. Laetitia told her that she would bathe, then she searched for the pills. She realized that it was the first day of her period, coupled with a second suspension and the death of her friend. She started screaming in the bathroom, until she passed out.
45. Laetitia had a mental breakdown. She came from the hospital and Ma and her family took care of her by talking to her. She shook herself out of her depression slowly and really came around when she heard that Charlene might not be able to visit for Easter. Everyone was shocked when she got up and left her room.
46. Plans were made for Laetitia's return to school. Her father would pay tuition and buy her books, and nothing else. The extended family made plans for the thanksgiving holiday and Laetitia felt as if she was taking up Anjanee's life.
techniques
Flashback
Definition - An occurrence in which a character remembers an earlier event that happened before the current point of the story. (Internal Analepsis) Takes the reader back to an event that already happened but the character is considering again.
Chapters two and three comprises of a flashback to when Laetitia is invited to live with her father and his family. It functions as a means of plot development because the reader now understands the dynamics of Laetitia's family. The theme of love and family relationship is highlighted by this flashback due to the dynamics, in Laetitia's extended family, that is revealed. It is clear that they are a very tight knit family that respect and love each other. This is highlighted by the fact that everyone votes on Laetitia's future. No one person's opinion is more valid than another in this family. The love and respect among them is clearly seen.
Foreshadowing
Definition - The author gives clues about events that will happen later in the story.
1. Mrs. Lopez' scorn of Laetitia, and Ma, is evident in her tone, which was very harsh and unprofessional, and her diction. She used words such as 'you people' (Hodge, 16) and even sucked her teeth at Ma, all because Laetitia did not have her father's last name or his address. If she could behave so appallingly with a parent, then it certainly warns the reader about how she will treat her students. Mrs. Lopez' unprofessionalism, in this setting, foreshadows her unprofessionalism in the classroom. This foreshadowing highlights the theme of discrimination because she treats her students unequally, based on where they lived and how they performed in her class. The reader sees her shaming her failing students and praising the few that do well.
2. Ma Zalline's statement that Anjanee would do something bad, if her situation did not change, foreshadows Anjanee's suicide at the end of the text. This foreshadowing highlights the theme of love and family relationship because Anjanee's situation highlights the importance of family support. Anjanee suffered because she did not have the emotional or financial support for her scholastic endeavors, and eventually took her life. This is contrasted with the consistent support that characterized Laetitia's journey, and how she flourished scholastically.
Juxtaposition
Definition - two concepts or ideas that are placed together, or side by side, with the result being that the differences between the two concepts/ ideas are highlighted.
1. At the beginning of the book, when Laetitia leaves her grandmothers house, her extended family packs a box of produce for her to take. This action is juxtaposed against the actions that are taken when Laetitia leaves her father's house, at the end of the book. [EG]. This juxtaposition highlights the theme of love and family relationship. This is the case because the reader is exposed to two families who operate in distinctly different ways. Laetitia's extended family has strong ties to each other, built on strong family values. Orville's family, however, is not close knit. This is due to his neglect of his family.
2. Anjanee and Laetitia are foils of each other, which creates the juxtaposition. Anjanee is poor and lives outside of the city, which places her at a disadvantage in school because she is constantly tired from the journey to and from school. The fact that she is poor means that she has to help her mother with household chores and selling, and she does not have texts book for school. Laetitia, on the other hand, lives in the financially stable Cephas household, which is located in the city. This circumstance makes life significantly easy for her because she has all her texts and is not tired because she is travelling a short distance, daily. The educational outcomes, for the two girls, are different, based on these contrasting circumstances. Anjanee does very poorly, while Laetitia does very well, even if she slacks off at times. This juxtaposition highlights the theme of friendship because Laetitia does her best to help her friend to do well. This help ranged from tutoring Anjanee to loaning her text books. This friendship was not one sided, Anjanee encouraged Laetitia to do well in school and follow the rules, as well as listened to Laetitia's complaints about Mr. Cephas.
3. Anjanee and Laetitia's family also contrasts in terms of their attitude to the girls' education. Anjanee's brothers, who run her household, do not believe that she needs additional schooling. In fact, they believe that she should stay home and help her mother, which leads to a lack of financial support for anything related to school. Laetitia's extended family, on the other hand, do everything to advance her education. The whole family voted on her going to live with her father, despite the fact that she does not have a relationship with him, because they believed that it would help her to do well in school. She would not have a commute and she would have someone, Aunt Velma, to help her with her work. So the decision was made based on the best context that would help her succeed educationally. This is a sacrifice for them because they do not trust Mr. Cephas, as seen in Ma's constant questioning about how she is being treated, yet they send her to ensure that she has a better future. This juxtaposition highlights the theme of love and family relationship because the reader sees how important the support of family members is to a child's development. Laetitia's motivation, and ultimate success, is grounded by the fact that she does not want to disappoint her family. So, even when she is on the verge of failure in the second term of school, she desperately tries to get back on track in order to make her family proud. Anjanee does not have this motivation because no one in her family wants her to succeed educationally. The result is that she falters and struggles to maintain her motivation. The reader sees her constantly having to lean on Laetitia when she feels that she cannot do it. So, essentially, Laetitia's support replaces what she should be getting from her family.
4. There is a contrast between how the Indian members of the Marlon Evans' gang were treated, versus the black members, "It seemed to us that Mr. Tewarie was always letting off the Indian boys in the gang, and blaming Peters and the rest for everything." (Hodge, 81). The disparity in treatment/ juxtaposition of the treatment of the boys, based on ethnicity, highlights the theme of discrimination. This is the case because the students are literally treated differently, based on their ethnicity. This results in tension between the students and the teachers.
Irony (situational)
Definition - A literary technique in which an expected outcome does not happen, or its opposite happens instead.
1. It is clear that Orville Cephas and Laetitia do not have a relationship, father and daughter do not even share a last name. It is therefore ironic that Orville places his daughter on show, for his friends to see, and brags to his boss about her. He is even upset when he receives her report and it is addressed to her grandmother. He is inordinately proud of her achievement, brags about her, yet does not know her. This highlights the theme of family relationship, in this case, a negative one. It is negative because he values her for her achievement and not on the basis of actually knowing and loving her, which is how it should be based on the fact that he is her father. This dysfunction in this newly made family unit is further revealed when he does not fight for his daughter's love and respect, but instead, let's her go and fights to make a minimal contribution in her life.
2. It is ironic that Laetitia arrives in the Cephas household and is able to straighten out Michael, while his own mother, Velma, is unable to do so. The irony lies in the fact that a child, who is not expected to be a disciplinarian is, and the real mother is not. This highlights the theme of family relationship because it highlights the level of dysfunction in the Cephas household. Michael literally mirrors his fathers activity, through the fact that he comes and goes as he pleases, and he gives his son license to disobey and disrespect his mother, Velma, when he gives the child permission to disobey his mother if she asks him to wash the dishes again. This family relationships, in the Cephas household, is therefore not strong as a direct result of the father's lead.
3. Laetitia's conversation with her Social Studies teacher, about the fact that the white nuclear family is better than any other family structure, including her extended family is ironic. This is revealed in the juxtaposition between the Cephas household, nuclear, and Laetitia's extended family. This highlights the theme of love and family relationship because Laetitia's extended family, that the teacher rejects as wholesome, is actually an extremely healthy and supportive environment. The toxic family structure is, in fact, the nuclear Cephas household, that looks picture perfect on the outside, but is dysfunctional at the core. The success of Laetitia's extended family lies in the love and respect that the members have for each other, something that is at a minimum in the nuclear Cephas household. Orville does not respect his wife enough to stay home and come home early when he can. He also does not encourage his son to listen to his mother, to make her life easier. So the nuclear Cephas family, the one that is seen as acceptable, is actually dysfunctional, in contrast to Laetitia's healthy extended family that is seen as unacceptable.
4. Laetitia literally hates living with her father. She does not appreciate the fact that she does not have a commute, like her friend Anjanee. As a result of not having a commute, she is rested and functional, unlike Anjanee, who cannot stay awake in class. She also has time to study, due to her lack of a commute, while Anjanee has zero time to study because of the commute. The irony lies in this juxtapostion. It is ironic that Laetitia hates living at her father's house, where all her needs are met, while her friend, Anjanee, would love to be in Laetitia's position. This irony highlights the theme of family relationship. Both girls do not feel comfortable in the family settings that they have. They both feel unsupported in their desires, Laetitia to visit her extended family on the weekends and Anjanee to receive emotional and financial support scholastically, and are therefore miserable. The importance of being heard and seen, by the adults in the household, is what is highlighted by this seen.
Satire
Definition - The use of wit for the purposes of social commentary. It ridicules problems in society etc, in order to bring attention to certain follies, vices and abuses, as well as lead to improvements.
1. The education system, in the Caribbean, is satirized through the teacher's interaction with the students. The Literature teacher is used to highlight the impact that the European culture has on what is considered 'good literature'. This done through his response to the children laughing at[ ], but accepting the Greek cyclops. He corrects what he sees to be a bad situation by teaching from a book that has relevance to them, as Caribbean students. So, the teacher's reaction to the students' reaction highlights the satire.
2. The characterization of Mr. Tawarie and Mrs. Lopez also highlights a satire because both characters are introduced to us in a witty and amusing way, but are actually used to ridicule the educational system that harbours them. Their treatment of the students is a direct reflection of what the education sytem tolerates, for their students. Both characters are characterized as discriminatory. Mr. Tawarie discriminates on the basis of ethnicity, while Mrs. Lopez discriminates based on class and aptitude. The reader sees Mr. Tawarie punishing the black students and not the Indian students, and Mrs. Lopez prizing her 'bright' students and ostracizing her low performing students. The fact that these teachers are allowed to remain in the school system, despite the many complaints of the students, highlights that the education system needs to be revamped.
CHARACTERIZATION
Definition - A literary device that is used step by step in literature to highlight and explain the details about a character in a story.
Laetitia
Laetitia is a good friend to Anjanee. She listens to her friend and cajoles her to talk when she did not want to do so. Based on these conversations, she knew the challenges that her friend was facing, so she allowed her to cheat off her Spanish paper and stayed after school to help her catch up. This trait highlights the theme of friendship. This is the case because Laetitia was willing to sacrifice her time to help her friend. She wanted her to reach her goal, which was having a successful scholastic career, which would then propel her into a successful life that was the opposite of the life of familial service that her mother led. Yes, it can be argued that Laetitia also gained something in helping her friend, she was able to be rebellious in the face of her father's controlling ways, but it does not overshadow the fact that she loves her friend and wants her to do well at school.
Laetitia is also family oriented. This means that her focus is on her family, especially her extended family. She is preoccupied with doing well in school because she wants to make her family proud, especially her grandmother. She naively, according to her uncle, wants to live with her extended family, in the school year, because she feels supported and loved with them. She even 'mothered' her little brother, Michael, despite her discomfort in her father's dysfunctional nuclear family. These examples of Laetitia's trait as a family oriented person highlights the theme of love and family relationship. This is the case because Laetitia tries to add positively to each of her family structure that she encounters. She works hard at excelling in school work to make her extended family feel proud and she makes an effort to get along with her step mother and brother, in her father's nuclear family, because her grandmother would be very upset. She has been trained to be respectful and value family, so her actions keep the family whole. The only point at which she deviates from positive actions towards family members is in the case of her father. She actually becomes disruptive with her father, by doing the opposite of everything he says, and rebuffs his efforts to get to know him. He is the only family member that she rejects. However, despite his affiliation with Michael and Aunt Velma, she is respectful to them and treat them well, as expected by her grandmother.
Anjanee Jugmohansingh
Anjanee is a courageous young lady, whose circumstances crushed her. She is courageous because, despite the many challenges that she faced throughout the two school terms, she consistently tried to attend school and get her work done. Anjanee had no financial support because her brothers did not purchase her books and she had to sell, with her mother, to get bus fare. The result of this stressful situation is that Anjanee was always tired, which rendered her non functional at school, and she eventually got sick. Despite all these challenges, Anjanee still persevered and tried to attend school and do her assignments and tests. Her designation as courageous, however, is overshadowed by the fact that she committed suicide. The theme of family relationships is highlighted because her suicide was a direct result of an unsupportive family. The reader is aware that it could have been different, because of the juxtaposition of Laetitia's extended family. They supported Laetitia and we see the positive results of this. Her suicide, though an important factor, cannot demolish her characterization as courageous because she did show courage before she eventually gave in to the stress of her situation.
Orville Cephas
Laetitia's father is very controlling. The reader observes this when he exerts control over his wife and he tries to control Laetitia. His wife is like a servant in that she literally lives to serve him - they cannot eat before he comes home and she speaks in whispers when he is asleep - by spending her waking hours waiting for him to come home. She does not appear to have a life outside of him and he is fine with that. In terms of Laetitia, he tries to literally control her movements, in an attempt to initiate a relationship with her. He stopped providing her with bus fare, which prevented her from going home on the weekends, and forces her to interact with him and his family. He went as far as to start going home early, some Fridays, to ensure that Laetitia stays home. The only person that he does not actively try to control is his son, Michael, who seems to be a project that he takes on sporadically, spending time with him by 'taking him up' with his reading, which often ends disastrously for Michael. The only point at which he tries to actively direct, or shape, Michael, is when he gave him permission to disobey his mother when next she asks him to wash the dishes. This trait, in Orville, highlights the theme of family relationship. This is the case because the trait highlights the dysfunction that permeates this nuclear family. His need to control the women in his family is the root of the dysfunction. It can be argued that his control of Laetitia is rooted in a desire to get to know this bright little girl that he appears to be so very proud of. The problem, however, is the method that he employs to do so. He even tries to dictate who she forms friendships with, by ordering her to stop associating with Anjanee.
Orville is also prideful. His prideful nature is seen in how he curses, after he is spoken to about responsibility towards his daughter by Ma and her husband. The pride stems from his inability, or lack of desire, to admit when he has done something wrong. Laetitia's extended family, and Laetitia herself, view him as an absentee father, who is just, at this late stage, living up to his responsibilities to his daughter. If he saw things as they did, he would not react by cursing, but by acknowledging the error of his ways and trying to move forward, with his daughter and her extended family, in a transparent manner. What he does, instead, is view the people who have borne his responsibility, by taking care of his child, as less than him, then tolerating their concerned lectures. This is the epitome of prideful. He then takes things that much farther by having the audacity to lecture Laetitia about ungratefulness and respect. His pride does not allow him to see that he has no right to lecture his child, that he has known for one school term, about anything. While he has the authority that society has given him through the title father, he does not have enough lived experience with her to claim the rights. There is simply not enough trust in their relationship. This trait highlights the theme of love and family relationship because the reader sees a clear juxtaposition between Laetitia's experience with her extended family versus her nuclear family. Her extended family has taken care of her all her life, so there is trust and love in that relationship. This is contrasted with her father's nuclear family, where she is a virtual stranger in the house, initially, and, despite Miss Velma's weak attempts at making her feel comfortable, she never actually feels comfortable in her father's house. Trust and love never develops in this setting.
Miss Velma
Though a minor character, Miss Velma is important because she, through her trait of being meek, highlights the theme of treatment of women in society. Her meekness is shown in her behaviour towards, and treatment of, her husband. We see her literally tip toeing around the house on a Sunday, when Orville is asleep, and depriving herself of hearing her program, on the radio, because it is turned down so low that she cannot hear it, all to accommodate her husband. The most interesting act of meekness that occurs is that no one can eat, on a Sunday, unless Orville is at the table. This compromising spirit highlights the theme of the treatment of women in society because the reader is exposed to what is expected of the women in the Cephas household, which is a mirror of society's wider expectation. Miss Velma was taken out of secondary school so that her brother could attend, which mirrors Anjanee's situation, where she has no financial or emotional support from her family because they believe that she should stay home and help her mother. These households represent sections of society that view women as second class citizens.
Definition - An occurrence in which a character remembers an earlier event that happened before the current point of the story. (Internal Analepsis) Takes the reader back to an event that already happened but the character is considering again.
Chapters two and three comprises of a flashback to when Laetitia is invited to live with her father and his family. It functions as a means of plot development because the reader now understands the dynamics of Laetitia's family. The theme of love and family relationship is highlighted by this flashback due to the dynamics, in Laetitia's extended family, that is revealed. It is clear that they are a very tight knit family that respect and love each other. This is highlighted by the fact that everyone votes on Laetitia's future. No one person's opinion is more valid than another in this family. The love and respect among them is clearly seen.
Foreshadowing
Definition - The author gives clues about events that will happen later in the story.
1. Mrs. Lopez' scorn of Laetitia, and Ma, is evident in her tone, which was very harsh and unprofessional, and her diction. She used words such as 'you people' (Hodge, 16) and even sucked her teeth at Ma, all because Laetitia did not have her father's last name or his address. If she could behave so appallingly with a parent, then it certainly warns the reader about how she will treat her students. Mrs. Lopez' unprofessionalism, in this setting, foreshadows her unprofessionalism in the classroom. This foreshadowing highlights the theme of discrimination because she treats her students unequally, based on where they lived and how they performed in her class. The reader sees her shaming her failing students and praising the few that do well.
2. Ma Zalline's statement that Anjanee would do something bad, if her situation did not change, foreshadows Anjanee's suicide at the end of the text. This foreshadowing highlights the theme of love and family relationship because Anjanee's situation highlights the importance of family support. Anjanee suffered because she did not have the emotional or financial support for her scholastic endeavors, and eventually took her life. This is contrasted with the consistent support that characterized Laetitia's journey, and how she flourished scholastically.
Juxtaposition
Definition - two concepts or ideas that are placed together, or side by side, with the result being that the differences between the two concepts/ ideas are highlighted.
1. At the beginning of the book, when Laetitia leaves her grandmothers house, her extended family packs a box of produce for her to take. This action is juxtaposed against the actions that are taken when Laetitia leaves her father's house, at the end of the book. [EG]. This juxtaposition highlights the theme of love and family relationship. This is the case because the reader is exposed to two families who operate in distinctly different ways. Laetitia's extended family has strong ties to each other, built on strong family values. Orville's family, however, is not close knit. This is due to his neglect of his family.
2. Anjanee and Laetitia are foils of each other, which creates the juxtaposition. Anjanee is poor and lives outside of the city, which places her at a disadvantage in school because she is constantly tired from the journey to and from school. The fact that she is poor means that she has to help her mother with household chores and selling, and she does not have texts book for school. Laetitia, on the other hand, lives in the financially stable Cephas household, which is located in the city. This circumstance makes life significantly easy for her because she has all her texts and is not tired because she is travelling a short distance, daily. The educational outcomes, for the two girls, are different, based on these contrasting circumstances. Anjanee does very poorly, while Laetitia does very well, even if she slacks off at times. This juxtaposition highlights the theme of friendship because Laetitia does her best to help her friend to do well. This help ranged from tutoring Anjanee to loaning her text books. This friendship was not one sided, Anjanee encouraged Laetitia to do well in school and follow the rules, as well as listened to Laetitia's complaints about Mr. Cephas.
3. Anjanee and Laetitia's family also contrasts in terms of their attitude to the girls' education. Anjanee's brothers, who run her household, do not believe that she needs additional schooling. In fact, they believe that she should stay home and help her mother, which leads to a lack of financial support for anything related to school. Laetitia's extended family, on the other hand, do everything to advance her education. The whole family voted on her going to live with her father, despite the fact that she does not have a relationship with him, because they believed that it would help her to do well in school. She would not have a commute and she would have someone, Aunt Velma, to help her with her work. So the decision was made based on the best context that would help her succeed educationally. This is a sacrifice for them because they do not trust Mr. Cephas, as seen in Ma's constant questioning about how she is being treated, yet they send her to ensure that she has a better future. This juxtaposition highlights the theme of love and family relationship because the reader sees how important the support of family members is to a child's development. Laetitia's motivation, and ultimate success, is grounded by the fact that she does not want to disappoint her family. So, even when she is on the verge of failure in the second term of school, she desperately tries to get back on track in order to make her family proud. Anjanee does not have this motivation because no one in her family wants her to succeed educationally. The result is that she falters and struggles to maintain her motivation. The reader sees her constantly having to lean on Laetitia when she feels that she cannot do it. So, essentially, Laetitia's support replaces what she should be getting from her family.
4. There is a contrast between how the Indian members of the Marlon Evans' gang were treated, versus the black members, "It seemed to us that Mr. Tewarie was always letting off the Indian boys in the gang, and blaming Peters and the rest for everything." (Hodge, 81). The disparity in treatment/ juxtaposition of the treatment of the boys, based on ethnicity, highlights the theme of discrimination. This is the case because the students are literally treated differently, based on their ethnicity. This results in tension between the students and the teachers.
Irony (situational)
Definition - A literary technique in which an expected outcome does not happen, or its opposite happens instead.
1. It is clear that Orville Cephas and Laetitia do not have a relationship, father and daughter do not even share a last name. It is therefore ironic that Orville places his daughter on show, for his friends to see, and brags to his boss about her. He is even upset when he receives her report and it is addressed to her grandmother. He is inordinately proud of her achievement, brags about her, yet does not know her. This highlights the theme of family relationship, in this case, a negative one. It is negative because he values her for her achievement and not on the basis of actually knowing and loving her, which is how it should be based on the fact that he is her father. This dysfunction in this newly made family unit is further revealed when he does not fight for his daughter's love and respect, but instead, let's her go and fights to make a minimal contribution in her life.
2. It is ironic that Laetitia arrives in the Cephas household and is able to straighten out Michael, while his own mother, Velma, is unable to do so. The irony lies in the fact that a child, who is not expected to be a disciplinarian is, and the real mother is not. This highlights the theme of family relationship because it highlights the level of dysfunction in the Cephas household. Michael literally mirrors his fathers activity, through the fact that he comes and goes as he pleases, and he gives his son license to disobey and disrespect his mother, Velma, when he gives the child permission to disobey his mother if she asks him to wash the dishes again. This family relationships, in the Cephas household, is therefore not strong as a direct result of the father's lead.
3. Laetitia's conversation with her Social Studies teacher, about the fact that the white nuclear family is better than any other family structure, including her extended family is ironic. This is revealed in the juxtaposition between the Cephas household, nuclear, and Laetitia's extended family. This highlights the theme of love and family relationship because Laetitia's extended family, that the teacher rejects as wholesome, is actually an extremely healthy and supportive environment. The toxic family structure is, in fact, the nuclear Cephas household, that looks picture perfect on the outside, but is dysfunctional at the core. The success of Laetitia's extended family lies in the love and respect that the members have for each other, something that is at a minimum in the nuclear Cephas household. Orville does not respect his wife enough to stay home and come home early when he can. He also does not encourage his son to listen to his mother, to make her life easier. So the nuclear Cephas family, the one that is seen as acceptable, is actually dysfunctional, in contrast to Laetitia's healthy extended family that is seen as unacceptable.
4. Laetitia literally hates living with her father. She does not appreciate the fact that she does not have a commute, like her friend Anjanee. As a result of not having a commute, she is rested and functional, unlike Anjanee, who cannot stay awake in class. She also has time to study, due to her lack of a commute, while Anjanee has zero time to study because of the commute. The irony lies in this juxtapostion. It is ironic that Laetitia hates living at her father's house, where all her needs are met, while her friend, Anjanee, would love to be in Laetitia's position. This irony highlights the theme of family relationship. Both girls do not feel comfortable in the family settings that they have. They both feel unsupported in their desires, Laetitia to visit her extended family on the weekends and Anjanee to receive emotional and financial support scholastically, and are therefore miserable. The importance of being heard and seen, by the adults in the household, is what is highlighted by this seen.
Satire
Definition - The use of wit for the purposes of social commentary. It ridicules problems in society etc, in order to bring attention to certain follies, vices and abuses, as well as lead to improvements.
1. The education system, in the Caribbean, is satirized through the teacher's interaction with the students. The Literature teacher is used to highlight the impact that the European culture has on what is considered 'good literature'. This done through his response to the children laughing at[ ], but accepting the Greek cyclops. He corrects what he sees to be a bad situation by teaching from a book that has relevance to them, as Caribbean students. So, the teacher's reaction to the students' reaction highlights the satire.
2. The characterization of Mr. Tawarie and Mrs. Lopez also highlights a satire because both characters are introduced to us in a witty and amusing way, but are actually used to ridicule the educational system that harbours them. Their treatment of the students is a direct reflection of what the education sytem tolerates, for their students. Both characters are characterized as discriminatory. Mr. Tawarie discriminates on the basis of ethnicity, while Mrs. Lopez discriminates based on class and aptitude. The reader sees Mr. Tawarie punishing the black students and not the Indian students, and Mrs. Lopez prizing her 'bright' students and ostracizing her low performing students. The fact that these teachers are allowed to remain in the school system, despite the many complaints of the students, highlights that the education system needs to be revamped.
CHARACTERIZATION
Definition - A literary device that is used step by step in literature to highlight and explain the details about a character in a story.
Laetitia
Laetitia is a good friend to Anjanee. She listens to her friend and cajoles her to talk when she did not want to do so. Based on these conversations, she knew the challenges that her friend was facing, so she allowed her to cheat off her Spanish paper and stayed after school to help her catch up. This trait highlights the theme of friendship. This is the case because Laetitia was willing to sacrifice her time to help her friend. She wanted her to reach her goal, which was having a successful scholastic career, which would then propel her into a successful life that was the opposite of the life of familial service that her mother led. Yes, it can be argued that Laetitia also gained something in helping her friend, she was able to be rebellious in the face of her father's controlling ways, but it does not overshadow the fact that she loves her friend and wants her to do well at school.
Laetitia is also family oriented. This means that her focus is on her family, especially her extended family. She is preoccupied with doing well in school because she wants to make her family proud, especially her grandmother. She naively, according to her uncle, wants to live with her extended family, in the school year, because she feels supported and loved with them. She even 'mothered' her little brother, Michael, despite her discomfort in her father's dysfunctional nuclear family. These examples of Laetitia's trait as a family oriented person highlights the theme of love and family relationship. This is the case because Laetitia tries to add positively to each of her family structure that she encounters. She works hard at excelling in school work to make her extended family feel proud and she makes an effort to get along with her step mother and brother, in her father's nuclear family, because her grandmother would be very upset. She has been trained to be respectful and value family, so her actions keep the family whole. The only point at which she deviates from positive actions towards family members is in the case of her father. She actually becomes disruptive with her father, by doing the opposite of everything he says, and rebuffs his efforts to get to know him. He is the only family member that she rejects. However, despite his affiliation with Michael and Aunt Velma, she is respectful to them and treat them well, as expected by her grandmother.
Anjanee Jugmohansingh
Anjanee is a courageous young lady, whose circumstances crushed her. She is courageous because, despite the many challenges that she faced throughout the two school terms, she consistently tried to attend school and get her work done. Anjanee had no financial support because her brothers did not purchase her books and she had to sell, with her mother, to get bus fare. The result of this stressful situation is that Anjanee was always tired, which rendered her non functional at school, and she eventually got sick. Despite all these challenges, Anjanee still persevered and tried to attend school and do her assignments and tests. Her designation as courageous, however, is overshadowed by the fact that she committed suicide. The theme of family relationships is highlighted because her suicide was a direct result of an unsupportive family. The reader is aware that it could have been different, because of the juxtaposition of Laetitia's extended family. They supported Laetitia and we see the positive results of this. Her suicide, though an important factor, cannot demolish her characterization as courageous because she did show courage before she eventually gave in to the stress of her situation.
Orville Cephas
Laetitia's father is very controlling. The reader observes this when he exerts control over his wife and he tries to control Laetitia. His wife is like a servant in that she literally lives to serve him - they cannot eat before he comes home and she speaks in whispers when he is asleep - by spending her waking hours waiting for him to come home. She does not appear to have a life outside of him and he is fine with that. In terms of Laetitia, he tries to literally control her movements, in an attempt to initiate a relationship with her. He stopped providing her with bus fare, which prevented her from going home on the weekends, and forces her to interact with him and his family. He went as far as to start going home early, some Fridays, to ensure that Laetitia stays home. The only person that he does not actively try to control is his son, Michael, who seems to be a project that he takes on sporadically, spending time with him by 'taking him up' with his reading, which often ends disastrously for Michael. The only point at which he tries to actively direct, or shape, Michael, is when he gave him permission to disobey his mother when next she asks him to wash the dishes. This trait, in Orville, highlights the theme of family relationship. This is the case because the trait highlights the dysfunction that permeates this nuclear family. His need to control the women in his family is the root of the dysfunction. It can be argued that his control of Laetitia is rooted in a desire to get to know this bright little girl that he appears to be so very proud of. The problem, however, is the method that he employs to do so. He even tries to dictate who she forms friendships with, by ordering her to stop associating with Anjanee.
Orville is also prideful. His prideful nature is seen in how he curses, after he is spoken to about responsibility towards his daughter by Ma and her husband. The pride stems from his inability, or lack of desire, to admit when he has done something wrong. Laetitia's extended family, and Laetitia herself, view him as an absentee father, who is just, at this late stage, living up to his responsibilities to his daughter. If he saw things as they did, he would not react by cursing, but by acknowledging the error of his ways and trying to move forward, with his daughter and her extended family, in a transparent manner. What he does, instead, is view the people who have borne his responsibility, by taking care of his child, as less than him, then tolerating their concerned lectures. This is the epitome of prideful. He then takes things that much farther by having the audacity to lecture Laetitia about ungratefulness and respect. His pride does not allow him to see that he has no right to lecture his child, that he has known for one school term, about anything. While he has the authority that society has given him through the title father, he does not have enough lived experience with her to claim the rights. There is simply not enough trust in their relationship. This trait highlights the theme of love and family relationship because the reader sees a clear juxtaposition between Laetitia's experience with her extended family versus her nuclear family. Her extended family has taken care of her all her life, so there is trust and love in that relationship. This is contrasted with her father's nuclear family, where she is a virtual stranger in the house, initially, and, despite Miss Velma's weak attempts at making her feel comfortable, she never actually feels comfortable in her father's house. Trust and love never develops in this setting.
Miss Velma
Though a minor character, Miss Velma is important because she, through her trait of being meek, highlights the theme of treatment of women in society. Her meekness is shown in her behaviour towards, and treatment of, her husband. We see her literally tip toeing around the house on a Sunday, when Orville is asleep, and depriving herself of hearing her program, on the radio, because it is turned down so low that she cannot hear it, all to accommodate her husband. The most interesting act of meekness that occurs is that no one can eat, on a Sunday, unless Orville is at the table. This compromising spirit highlights the theme of the treatment of women in society because the reader is exposed to what is expected of the women in the Cephas household, which is a mirror of society's wider expectation. Miss Velma was taken out of secondary school so that her brother could attend, which mirrors Anjanee's situation, where she has no financial or emotional support from her family because they believe that she should stay home and help her mother. These households represent sections of society that view women as second class citizens.
Contributor: Leisa Samuels-Thomas
Hodge, Merle. For the Life of Laetitia. (Canada) HarperCollinsCanadaLtd. 1993.
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