41 pages • 1 hour read
Tayari JonesSilver Sparrow
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2011A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Racism in the 20th-Century American Workplace
While racism was rampant in many venues in 20th-century Atlanta, it was especially evident in the workplace. Throughout this novel, the characters’ careers are shaped by their race and experiences with racism. For example, Gwen is the “very first colored woman” (18) to be a “[g]ift wrap girl” at Davison’s (16). Holding this post means she must be extra demure, efficient, and respectful, since her success or failure is often seen as reflective of the African American race in general, rather than of just her as an individual. While she makes very little in this role, “she knew how much things had changed, and she was grateful for it […] for these new opportunities,” a perspective that shows how deeply racism is ingrained into Gwen’s psyche (18).
While Gwen’s career was shaped by her race and racism, it did not start as a response to race and racism like it did for James. James began his limo service because “[w]hen you have to wear dress blues and a hat and work for white people, you’re wearing a costume. You are no better than a monkey” (28). Instead of dressing up in a uniform for someone else, James and Raleigh wear their uniforms for themselves and become successful African American entrepreneurs at a time when the concept was rare.
Laverne also ran her own business as a black woman, making it clear that she was willing to fight racism in her own way as well. Laverne’s ability to set her own rules and schedule was much different from the experiences of many African American women who lived during her time. For example, Raleigh’s mother, Lula, “said she felt like she was working on a plantation” in one of the homes she worked in, and it was considered rare that “Mattie’s cousin kept house for [a] family for thirty years and no one ever laid a hand on her” (120). Both the women and men in this novel find that their careers have been dictated, if not created, by race and racism.
The Effects of Domestic Abuse
The effects of domestic abuse trickle throughout this novel. Many instances in Silver Sparrow serve as warnings for spotting signs of domestic abuse and danger. For example, as early as page 23, Gwen’s close friend, Willie Mae, is “shot to death by her boyfriend,” signaling the possible consequences of domestic abuse. Another warning comes when Willie Mae worries over Gwen breaking Raleigh’s heart, saying “[y]ou never know what a man will do when you try and quit him” (144). Laverne also tries to warn Chaurisse when she reveals to her that the woman who threw grits at Al Green also committed suicide; she tells Chaurisse, “when you love a man that much, it’s time to let him go” (251).
One clear message of this novel is that children who witness or experience domestic abuse often grow up to seek out violent partners. Gwen is clearly aware of this when she yells at James, saying, “Don’t curse like that in front of Dana. Do you want her to grow up attracted to violent men?” (35). She also displays this awareness when she tells Dana Lynn that “if a man hits you once, leave” (92). However, the words have little meaning, since Gwen allows James to hit her and looks the other way when Dana Lynn is physically abused by James, who “took off his belt and swatted [her] around the legs and up on [her] backside” (9). After these experiences, Dana Lynn ends up dating Marcus, who slaps her when she asks if he is cheating on her. Since domestic abuse was part of her childhood, she considers this normal instead of horrifying.
It's worth nothing that men are not the only domestic abusers in this book. Mattie, Laverne’s mother, “slapped” Laverne’s “mouth for having the nerve to cry” when she was pregnant (165). However, for the most part men are the domestic abusers in this book, such as when James “lay[s] a hand” on Chaurisse, full of “rage,” after she refused to get in the car at the gas station where Dana Lynn is hiding (283). Whether the result is death or damage to children, the instances of domestic abuse in this novel are clear indicators of its dangers.
Redefining Marriage in America
Much of this novel asks its readers to reconsider the traditional concept of marriage as a monogamist relationship between a man and a woman. It treats that framework as a legal boundary and nothing else. As Gwen says early on, love cannot be “bound by the state of Georgia” (16). Later on, Dana Lynn mimics this thought of her mother’s, saying “the law didn’t understand about what happened between men and women” (62). For many, marriage boils down to nothing more than a legal contract or a way to have kids without having shame. Laverne’s marriage was initially a combination of those things. She was expected to see marriage as a cure-all, as seen when her mother tries to cheer her up by saying “the boy says he’s going to marry you” (163). Since “every married woman wanted a baby back then,” Laverne was also taught to see marriage and children as going hand in hand, whether she liked it or not (120).
Marriage is also depicted as quite lonely. As Laverne often repeats, “marriage is complicated” (184). In contrast to the smiling families of American sitcoms, Gwen and Dana Lynn lead a life in which the man of the house only pops in once a week and is “treated […] like the guest he was” (29). Also, adultery is often treated as an inevitable casualty of marriage, which is made clear when Willie Mae chastises Gwen by saying, “you must be one high-minded lady to leave a perfectly good man just for chasing a little tail” (20), as well as when Laverne accepts James back into her life after finding out about Gwen.
While most of the book paints marriage in an unappealing light, some moments redeem it. For example, there is the hopeful: “My mama also says that a lot of good marriages get off to peculiar starts […] so this doesn’t mean nothing bad,” a comment made by young James (179), insinuating that there is no perfect recipe for marriage. Likewise, Chaurisse claims that “marriage is tricky, but children bring love into even the most complicated situation” (192). For better or worse, this text challenges and expands the traditional American concept of marriage.
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By Tayari Jones
