Anjanee and Lacey:

Both girls are from rural backgrounds and attend the same school. They face a great deal of pressure at school because of the challenges of being “country” children. Anjanee commits suicide because she cannot find inspiration or hope from her family. With the help of her family, Lacey recovers from her nervous breakdown and faces the future with hope.

The main difference with both girls is that Lacey gets encouragement, love, and support from Ma and the family. Her education is important to her family. On the other hand, Anjanee wants to be educated but she has no support system at home. The males in her family believe that a woman’s place is in the home – cooking, cleaning, and having children. Lacey is the closest she comes to having support. When the negativity becomes too much for Anjanee, she takes her life.

Compare Lacey and Michael:

Michael and Lacey share the same biological father.  The contrast between the two points to the fact that home training is what shapes a child. Lacey is neat and tidy, well-disciplined, considerate, and helpful; Michael has poor manners. He is untidy and dirty in his habits, inconsiderate and unhelpful. Michael tries to change when Lacey comes to live with them. Lacey trains him to be kind and hopes that he perhaps will not grow up to oppress women in the way that his father does. Lacey firmly encourages her brother to be tidier and more considerate.

Compare the strong women and the brow-beaten women:

Both Lacey’s grandmother, Ma, and Ma Zelline are strong women. Ma is a respected matriarch, and she oversees the household. Her words are final. Ma Zelline chooses to remain single and enjoy her independence. Ma and Ma Zelline are very different from Miss Velma, who is afraid to play the radio or speak above a whisper. Anjanee’s mother is weaker in many ways. She is subjective and spends her entire life serving the men.

Compare Mrs. Lopez and Mr. Joseph:

Mrs. Lopez teaches Mathematics. She is prejudiced towards Lacey and her grandmother when they meet at registration. She makes it clear that “country” people should not be in school. She is impatient with Lacey and her grandmother. Mrs. Lopez is overly made up, sports a foreign hairdo, and wears too much jewelry. She is arrogant and believes that she is superior to everyone else. In class, her attitude and behaviour towards the students is always offensive and intended to put them down. Mr. Joseph is the teacher of English. He rescues Lacey at registration time. He proves to be understanding and respectful. He values the West Indian culture as he insists that Anansi stories are just as important as Greek myths. This suggests that he believes that Caribbean people and their lifestyle have the same value as other cultures. He encourages self-respect and pride in local culture, while Mrs Lopez tells the children they are unworthy, do not know how to speak properly, and will never make anything of their lives.

Key themes in the novel based on the contrast of the characters:

• re-examining of the role of women in society

• the value of family support for children

• redefining the dynamics of the family and the Caribbean reality

• the value of education and its relevance to growth and self-actualisation of children in the Caribbean

• the crucial role of teachers and a nurturing school environment

• the role of education in changing society’s attitude to women