Hurricane Child

“She was black, blacker than black, blacker than even me.”

This is the first time Caroline sees the woman in black. Caroline has the darkest skin at her school and in her family, and she describes herself as darker than the paintings of African queens her mother bought. Missus Wilhelmina says Caroline has to be a good girl since she’ll have difficulty getting married with skin as dark as hers. The fact that the woman in black is “blacker than black” (4) is symbolic; the spirit appears during moments of crisis for Caroline. The lack of light surrounding the woman in black represents a lack of clarity.

“He’s already going through enough, hanging on that cross, crown of thorns on his head, without having to listen to us too.”

Missus Wilhelmina drags Caroline through the church, and her voice bounces into Jesus Christ hanging from the cross. Caroline is able to see beyond herself in this moment, and it is an example of how she sees things that nobody else sees. Caroline identifies with the persecution of Jesus here, as Missus Wilhelmina beats her in front of the other students. It’s as if Caroline is being kicked while she’s already down.

“And even though most people always wanted to let go after just a few seconds, my mom would only stop hugging me when I told her to, and if it were up to me, she’d just keep holding on forever.”

Caroline has decided she must find her mother again and connects her memory of her mother’s embrace to the future dream of finding her and never letting her go again.