Tressa is a smart, strong black woman who undergoes
challenges when dealing with her boyfriend and the father of her children,
Luck. There are multiple undertones, side stories, and hidden messages within
the text that are important to unpack in order to see a larger picture—Tressa’s
story is not fictional or isolated. It is not unique or unfathomable. Sadly,
her narrative resembles the reality of many African American single mothers in
lower socioeconomic environments.
I am a firm believer that people are products of their
environments. I think Turner uses this theory in her approach to show just how
much of Tressa’s life is out of her control. Her immediate family, abusive
stepfather, her incarcerated mother (who died tragically from “suicide”), her
incarcerated brother, have all greatly impacted her life’s trajectory. Her
boyfriend’s circumstances, his drug dealing ways, his criminal record, his
abusive behavior resulting from his mother’s abuse, are all factors that go
into the way Tressa is treated.
One section (Money Talks, B/S Walks) I was extremely upset
about was the pay phone scene following Tressa’s departure from Luck’s house.
This chapter connects specifically to the controlling behavior of Luck. He is
so guilty and so insecure that he is forced to control her. The little comments
he’s made, “Where you going to go with two babies? Who gonna want you?" (Turner 47), give me
chills. I am so frustrated with Luck’s mentality and his carelessness and the
reckless abandon he exhibits towards his children. “Well scrammmm, since you
want it like this. I ain’t going to help you do shit for the kids. Make that
shit do what it do…If I ain’t a part of your life, you cant get no type of help
from me”(Turner 123). If anything, this behavior is the first domino of a cycle
that is deadly. This is so hurtful to hear from a male figure. As Tressa tries
to lie to her sons about their father’s absence, it is heartbreaking to see
that Luck is more concerned with Tressa snitching than actually taking care of
his children. Some argue that many of the issues in the black community can be
attributed to absence of male role model figures. I wholeheartedly believe that
people overlook the importance of having a stable household amongst the noise
that comes with socioeconomic issues and an unhealthy environment/lifestyle.
Final thought:
In this novel, Money gives people power and control over others. It is the only thing Luck can hold against Tressa and it's the only thing Tressa thinks about when debating to leave Luck. So what can be said about drugs as a source of revenue and livelihood in Turner's novel? It says everything. Luck doesn't care abut Tressa or the boys. Only the reality that Tressa could ruin his business. Ultimately, Money and love are used interchangeably. Does that mean that women in Tressa's situation are likely to put up with abuse for this "financial affection"? Is it all worth it in the end?
Final thought:
In this novel, Money gives people power and control over others. It is the only thing Luck can hold against Tressa and it's the only thing Tressa thinks about when debating to leave Luck. So what can be said about drugs as a source of revenue and livelihood in Turner's novel? It says everything. Luck doesn't care abut Tressa or the boys. Only the reality that Tressa could ruin his business. Ultimately, Money and love are used interchangeably. Does that mean that women in Tressa's situation are likely to put up with abuse for this "financial affection"? Is it all worth it in the end?
I too found the end of this chapter particularly disturbing for many of the reasons that Jayla did. That said, I am still trying to put together as to how the importance of a stable household differs from the presence of male role model figures and how that ties to Lucky's abandonment of his children. My understanding of this post is that the book, A Project Chick presents a very real picture of how the environments of people can affect them as people. Therefore, when Lucky's actions of abandoning his children, after abusing his wife, are a result of his surroundings. I suppose my confusion comes with a question of which aspect of Lucky's life is being argued as the cause and which is the effect. In other words, are Lucky's actions a product of his surroundings, or are his actions themselves creating the unstable surroundings, which in turn affect the decisions and actions of Tressa, Ali, and Hadji's lives. Perhaps this confusion is a good thing in order to draw attention to the "cycle that is deadly" which Jayla refers to. In this case, Lucky's mother, whose actions were surely a result of her environment caused him to develop anger problems and abusive tendencies, which he then took out on his family, adding to the instability of their environment. While I agree that many aspects of healthy lifestyles, class, and environment are indeed cyclical within families, I want to qualify the claim that "people are products of their environment." I completely agree that environment has a very firm grip on the way that people grow and develop, but I feel that to consider people solely as such is to discredit any inherent traits and abilities of people. I believe that personality development is a combination of environment as well as innate traits from birth. That said, I think this post is important to highlight the fact that in order for people to reach their full potential and live a fulfilling life, a safe, stable environment is necessary.
ReplyDeleteJayla, I was also very disturbed by Lucky's behavior throughout the book. After thinking about the novel however, I feel that some of its feminist potential lies in the way Turner assigns morality to the characters through Tressa’s eyes. The chapter you highlighted in particular demonstrates how Tressa is defying the life she knows for her and her children's safety. In Chapter 11, Gypsy thinks about Tressa's situation and decides she doesn't feel bad for her because Gypsy does not believe there is anything Lucky could have done that would be more horrible than his money would be important. But in Tressa's initial experience of leaving Lucky in Chapter 9, she is able to break this norm and take control over her life. Tressa throughout the novel however, respects how everyone she encounters makes money. Tressa does not assign goodness to individuals based on how much money they have, nor does she assign them badness because they make money in a way that is illegal. She judges others based on their character, taking into account the situation they came from. Many characters in the novel have very difficult life situations that lead them to being involved in illegal activity. Tressa rarely judges people for how they make money, saying, “I don’t knock anybody’s hustle” (Turner, 121). Turner shows us that money is necessary for life, and that the opportunities to make money are small and complicated for many of the characters. This morality that is not tied to the law but to navigating a harmful system for survival is very feminist.
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