From the first six chapters of the book, it is suggested that Beka may undergo some change or changes of the sort. Most likely, it will be about her constant lying and responsibility which tie in with maturity.
It was evident that Beka lied to her parents many times before. This was shown in the lines "What Beka recognized in herself as 'change' began, as far as she could remember, the day she decided to stop lying. Things were getting almost beyond her control" and " Lying was one of the things about Beka that her parents detested most." There was a situation in the book where Beka had lied to her parents about a promotion to second form, and after that, Beka wanted to stop being dishonest. She was reduced to tears because of her climbing guilt and the uneasiness she felt.
Beka also wanted to be responsible. This is shown in the line"Beka cleaned the attic with feverish energy;here was a way to start,a way to show her family that she could be different."Cleaning the attic was her way of showing her family that she was focused on changing into a better person. She cleaned it perfectly and assiduously but no one seemed to notice. They were clearly disappointed at her failure, even Granny Ivy who nearly always 'took up' for Beka because of her pride for her.
These changes are very important for Beka. At the end of chapter five, a significant symbol was shown when she ran into Chuku's marble game, breaking the ring which caused her to retrace the circle. Her family's disappointment for her failure and her lying made her feel alone; she broke the circle and she must be the one to connect it again. This knowledge most likely made her even more determined to change.
Her changes tie in with maturity for mature people do not lie and are very responsible. A phrase which show how much she wants to be mature are "but Beka felt she had handled the job like a woman and in Belize, to be able to work like a woman was an honourable thing." There was also a symbolic paragraph in chapter four that stated that one of her breasts was growing while the other was not. This tells us that she,an adolescent, is on her way to maturity/womanhood but is not there as yet. She is surrounded by many adults and needs to find her place in order to progress.Y
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As you mentioned it, when Beka's mother Lilla aked her to go do and errand for her, she accidently ran through Chuku's marble game and broke the ring. This symbolises that Beka broke the ring or circle between her family and herself. When she went back to retrace the circle she was trying to draw back the ring in her life. I do not know if everybody has read after chapter 7 but these are one of the main symbols that should be mentioned that took part in Beka's life.
ReplyDeleteI have read that chapter,and yes it does represent her breaking the bond between herself and her family.By her disappointment to her parents,by lying about her exams,she has proven them to be a childish and immature,further destroying whatever levels of success they expected from her.
ReplyDeleteWe also see her breaking away from her family since she is still very much caught up in the death of Toycie and she spends most of her time reminiscing on their times spent together, and yes i agree with Thais' comment her continuous acts of lying disappoints her parents and this can also be a for the breaking of the bond between herself and her family
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