A way of expressing emotions by not saying anything

For some reason, this novel reminded me of the narrative "Sonny's Blues" By James Baldwin. There are a lot of flashbacks present in both narratives and the theme of songs. Sonny and Corregidora both use music to deal with their angers and face the past. They don't know how to communicate their anger like everyone else. They don't know how to express themselves through words.

Cat says, "I knowed she was like that, that's why I told her to sleep in here on the floor" (39). Ursa responds by saying "Well, you should've told me she was like that before and I wouldn't have said she could come in here and sleep with me. Why in the hell didn't you tell me she was like that before" (40). I saw Jeffy as the only female character who wasn't been treated as an object by the males of society, so why would the author choose to put such a complicated character in this work? How does she contribute to the work as a whole? My mind went in several directions with this. Jeffy was probably abused by a man, possibly her father and she no longer trust men. We are readers are never told about Jeffy and her relationship with any man. It allows us to question the fact that when her mother is gone, she stays with Cat, why not stay with her father? What did Cat mean when she said "They say Jeffy's daddy, something was wrong with him. But I didn't know him myself" (43). For some reason, I automatically thought about incest. Why would Jeffy express herself in such a sexual way, when she is so young? It also seems like she understands the narrator because she continuously tells her that she is scared of Mutt. What has Jeffy experienced?


Catherine tells Jeffy " I will give you a fist to fuck(47)", and Ursa tells Vivian " If you want something to fuck, I'll give you my fist to fuck" (87). Why do they use this phrase and what does it mean? Keeping in mind that Jeffy and Vivian are the same age which is 15 years old. What message is the older women sending out to the younger generation?

Do you think that this narrative can be seen as a comming of age story? Keep in mind, how Ursa's voice changes when she sings. Think about how she handles herself with Mutt, Tadpole, and then Max. How does she express herself differently with these men? What about herself awareness? Ursa says "How do you know you a real man? If you had to leave me for somebody that ain't even a real woman yet" (89). She makes a strong statement. "It's not me, it's you" (89).