“In the way of Cherokee women, Lula could still make you feel that she held down the Earth around her one moment and then seem almost like a girl the next.”
This is a story of Cherokee women and the social obstacles that hinder them from thriving but still keeping their heads above water. The statement references Justine’s mother, Luna, who has struggled physically, emotionally, and financially while catering for her three daughters. From the matriarch to Justine's daughter, the narrative showcases the highs and lows of these women trying to make due. Essentially, it is about strong women, who sometimes barely feel strong, but have to be for the sake of their kinfolks. The quote illustrates this attitude that the mothers have to assume in order to be flourish despite the few shortcomings.
“She’s survived a lifetime of these miracles, which trace back to Daddy emptying the bank account and leaving her with three girls and half an art education degree to pay the bills. There were the nervous breakdowns.”
The men in their lives are either absent fathers or unreliable husbands, disappointing them at every turn time and time again. Justine’s father was an abusive white man, as such, it was more of a blessing to Luna for him to leave. However, as the quote suggests, the situation left them with no resources to fend for themselves but the mother would still overcome. Justine too gets dragged into the cycle of violent and terrible men in an effort to seek a traditional sense of family. As a sole provider, Luna had her fair share of nervous breakdowns considering the financial burden left behind. This shows the resilience of Cherokee women amid the familial problems brought on by the absent and negligent men.
“Finally, her heart gave out and she died, all by herself in her little bedroom with a feed bucket sitting in the corner collecting water from the hole in the roof. To top it all off, his daddy still hasn’t got her a proper tombstone. He said he couldn’t afford it.”
The common motif in the narrative is poverty, in this case, generational poverty that persists generation after generation. This is partially due to the personal issues that prevent prosperity such as addiction, laziness, and lack of accountability. Nonetheless, it is mostly caused by social issues that hamper the progress of the Native communities seeing the long history of oppression and racism. Justine asserts the statement referring to her mother-in-law, Pitch’s mother, who died poor with nothing of worth left to take over. Similarly, Justine comes from a family bred in poverty and, as such, reflects on this ‘curse’ that affects the whole community. The men she gets married to along the way have the same pattern; they seem to make big promises they cannot keep.
