Essay Questions

What literary characters does Lula parallel, and how?

The characters that Lula most connects with are those from fairytales of old. As the book is beginning, she is introduced as a dark woman who loves to wear clothes that emphasize this. The clear parallel we can draw here is that she is meant to be the antithesis to the unattainable beauty of Snow White, which immediately throws her into sharp relief with those around her. This color ostracizes her. Later, she is put out by her family and rejected by them. This parallel can be drawn to Hansel and Gretel, whose parents reject them and refuse to acknowledge them, preferring to abandon rather than embrace. Finally, the relationship between Lula and her mother is indicative of a Rapunzel-esque upbringing, in which her mother is Mother Gothel. Lula’s inability to find a man is not only perpetuated by her skin color (in her mind, not necessarily in reality), but by her mother’s constant beratement of said color and her distance.

In what ways is Lula alienated from human contact?

First, her skin color creates an obvious barrier between herself and her colorist parents. The concept of colorism is predominant in some minority communities, and her parents are no exception. They keep her further away from them than logically is helpful, and this makes it difficult for her to socialize. Her mother especially is more brutal to Lula than need be, because she understands how difficult it must be for Lula to be so dark. Finally, her father leaves her early on in her life, ashamed by her color. This makes it more difficult for Lula to create human connections without a main figure in her life.

How is Sweetness humanized in this novel?

Sweetness is characterized at the beginning of this novel as being distant from her daughter due to her skin color. However, as time goes on, her husband leaves her and she is forced to raise a daughter she is ashamed of alone. She does not interact with her daughter Lula, and instead forces Lula to call Sweetness by her name instead of “mama.” However, she eventually explains her rationale behind these actions. She is afraid that the world will beat Lula down and take her happiness, and Sweetness does not pretend any differently. She tells her daughter very candidly that she will never be accepted for her skin color, and will be cast out just like her mother.