“He listens to me when I talk. And –and he talks to me. He teaches me about things. Mama –he knows an awful lot.”
The play is one that tackles dark subject matters within the family sphere especially through the protagonist, Li’l Bit. It showcases how the victim-abuser relationship begins and what makes it easy for the abuser to get away with their actions. In this case, Peck is the only family member that Li’l Bit truly connects with because he understands her and also smart. Thus, in this dynamic pedophilic and incestuous acts happens to the victim faster than they can comprehend. And before they can voice their discomfort or are aware of its wrongfulness they have already been victimized and thus traumatized.
“I picked your grandmother out of that herd of sisters just like a lion chooses the gazelle –plump, slow, flaky gazelle dawdling at the edge of the herd –your sisters were too smart and too fast and too scrawny.”
The play also explores matters of misogyny in how the women in the family are treated by the men. Through Peck, it is evident he has sexually objectified his niece by creating a rapport in order to abuse her. However, there are other subtle yet overt forms of misogyny in the play especially by the patriarch, Big Papa. In the assertion, the grandfather’s sentiments regarding women are illustrated by how he chooses to refer to his wife. Moreover, the nickname he is branded shows his patriarchal notions and how he does not value intelligent and strong women.
