Despite societal ideals of beauty revolving around figures like Shirley Temple, Claudia, on the other hand, embraced her pride in being black and had no inclination to alter her appearance. The contrasting experiences of the children’s parents further highlight their differences. Coolly, Piccolo’s father, exhibited violent tendencies, domestically abusing his wife in front of their children as well as committing the heinous act of raping his own daughter, resulting in her becoming a mother herself. In contrast, Piccolo’s mother distanced herself from the tumultuous family life she had. Her marriage was crumbling due to Chows’ alcohol-fueled aggression. Tragically, when Pectoral revealed her father’s assault, her mother didn’t believe her.
Claudia’s parents were strict, with her father being overprotective. An example of his overprotectiveness is when he threw a bicycle at Mr. Henry for touching Claudia’s older sister, Fried, and even attempted to shoot him. While Claudia’s mother was also strict, she cared for her family and ensured that her girls did not engage in any wrongdoing, so they would grow up to be virtuous women. Despite their differences, Claudia and Pectoral share the similarity of being black. Due to their race, society continuously subjects them to comments regarding racism and color ideology.
People refer to these girls as ugly because of their black skin color, while they wonder what makes white people appear so beautiful. Despite the difference in their upbringing, both girls are young and share a similar mindset. They come from impoverished backgrounds. I personally enjoyed reading this book as it portrays the harsh realities experienced by some black families in the past, and possibly even now. I believe the novel teaches us the importance of perseverance. Despite facing difficulties in her life, Pectoral pushed forward. I sincerely recommend this book to everyone.
