One part of this section that really stuck out to me was when we got to see Dominique and Shirley interact with each other. We knew that they were both friends with Amma, but I hadn’t thought about how these two interact at all. When I was previously reading Shirley’s chapter, I had read her homophobia as something as the past, without realizing it’s how she still feels. I was disappointed to see that so many years after learning about Amma’s sexuality, she still doesn’t accept it. I really liked how Dominique picks up on it though, “She’d once caught Shirley watching Amma kiss a girlfriend at a party, the expression on Shirley’s face when she thought she wasn’t being observed. The woman is a closet homophobe, although Amma won’t have it, says Shirley wouldn’t be her friend if she was” (Evaristo 430).
This passage shows a lot about all three characters. Amma overlooks the obvious flaws of the people she cares about, Dominique is observant and a very protective friend, and Shirley still doesn’t have any character development. The interaction between Dominique and Shirley makes me think about how many things go unnoticed by the characters of this book because they care for the people who betray them. Is the affair between Lennox and Winsome obvious to other characters who see these two interact? Are Shirley and Winsome’s husband the only people to not pick up on it? I wish we were able to get more into the characters’ heads and thoughts.
Shirley’s homophobia reminds me of the current events going on with Nicki Minaj right now. She was never previously seen as homophobic, but she has been getting accusations of it lately and supporting people who are. She was even called out for her support of certain people during the Grammys recently and most celebrities there laughed. This small connection between Shirley and a popular celebrity makes you wonder what people really think about things and if they are hiding their true feelings on certain topics.
Leave a Reply