As already discussed in the previous blog assignment, a main character, Indigo, experienced a major step towards womanhood after having undergone menstruation. However, prior to that, Indigo was expressing her femininity by crafting dolls at home to talk to. Family womanhood is abundantly clear from the start of the book, as Indigo's family was weaving and dying cloths for a living. This is something that is not only related to African culture, but may also be seen as chiefly feminine. Again, it's worthwhile to note that this work focuses much more on femininity and womanhood than the previous readings, which while they did touch on those themes, were much more focused on Blackness. The notions of adolescence as well as the relation of independence with family are explored as the girls start meeting other people, interacting with the world, and heading for greater horizons. All this was done as the girls periodically thought about their old family life, communicating with their mother at home. Indigo is not really talked about from the middle of the book to the end of it, although Indigo does appear again in the ending of the book, which elegantly takes the reader back to the feelings of home life with mother and young in Sassafras, Cypress, & Indigo.
Inner self-expression was a central element of the book. The girls and their friends played musical instruments and took dance classes to express themselves. Indigo played violin freestyle, Cypress took ballet classes before graduating to modern dance, and Sassafras had a male partner who played jazz. Sassafras mostly expressed herself through weaving, to honor her family's tradition. Also, Cypress had a male partner who played jazz as well, and Cypress ended up marrying him; that is, after she had an experimental relationship with another dancer named Idrina. The way Cypress developed more with different dance methods through the book traces her self-expression with regards to dancing. Besides music and dance, there are many other points of inner expression in the book. For example, the way the mother creatively gave all the girls gifts at Christmas was one way how the mother expressed herself with her family, even giving the girls gifts that encourage them to express themselves. Of course, as said before, many of the rituals in the book promote inner self-expression in a way that is largely feminine. The dream Cypress has at the end of the book is quite a novel, very abstract point of exploration into these girls' inner consciousness.
Adult partnership and motherhood is another driving theme in this book, although I cannot delve into all the details of the girls' partnerships. Indigo's interactions with the neighborhood boys and her association with the Geechee Capitans marks the start of her steps toward adult partnership. Sassafras's relationship with Mitch was able to demonstrate the darker side of early adult partnerships. Mother Hilda Effania always told the girls they were free to go out and they were free to come home. Cypress's travels were the greatest illustration of adult womanhood in the book, tracing her exploits around Idrina to her tenure and eventual separation with Leroy, before her marriage. When Cypress ran low on money and questioned Leroy how they were financially staying afloat, they eventually got to the story of Leroy's parents. His parents died in a vehicle fire, but some people speculated that it was not entirely an accident. Death around the family coming so close to financial security very well goes to show the potential dark side of later adult life. However, Cypress was very supportive, even though Leroy got insecure, and they would appear to be made up by the end of the book. This was in time for Sassafras to become a mother, making Cypress and especially Indigo aunts.
Inner self-expression was a central element of the book. The girls and their friends played musical instruments and took dance classes to express themselves. Indigo played violin freestyle, Cypress took ballet classes before graduating to modern dance, and Sassafras had a male partner who played jazz. Sassafras mostly expressed herself through weaving, to honor her family's tradition. Also, Cypress had a male partner who played jazz as well, and Cypress ended up marrying him; that is, after she had an experimental relationship with another dancer named Idrina. The way Cypress developed more with different dance methods through the book traces her self-expression with regards to dancing. Besides music and dance, there are many other points of inner expression in the book. For example, the way the mother creatively gave all the girls gifts at Christmas was one way how the mother expressed herself with her family, even giving the girls gifts that encourage them to express themselves. Of course, as said before, many of the rituals in the book promote inner self-expression in a way that is largely feminine. The dream Cypress has at the end of the book is quite a novel, very abstract point of exploration into these girls' inner consciousness.
Adult partnership and motherhood is another driving theme in this book, although I cannot delve into all the details of the girls' partnerships. Indigo's interactions with the neighborhood boys and her association with the Geechee Capitans marks the start of her steps toward adult partnership. Sassafras's relationship with Mitch was able to demonstrate the darker side of early adult partnerships. Mother Hilda Effania always told the girls they were free to go out and they were free to come home. Cypress's travels were the greatest illustration of adult womanhood in the book, tracing her exploits around Idrina to her tenure and eventual separation with Leroy, before her marriage. When Cypress ran low on money and questioned Leroy how they were financially staying afloat, they eventually got to the story of Leroy's parents. His parents died in a vehicle fire, but some people speculated that it was not entirely an accident. Death around the family coming so close to financial security very well goes to show the potential dark side of later adult life. However, Cypress was very supportive, even though Leroy got insecure, and they would appear to be made up by the end of the book. This was in time for Sassafras to become a mother, making Cypress and especially Indigo aunts.
