Brown Girl in the Ring

Through the novel’s contextualization of Afro-Caribbean spiritual and folkloric traditions against the backdrop of African enslavement, the matrilineal practice of these traditions come to represent a form of healing from this violent history. However, Rudy symbolizes the residual harms of this history as a patriarchal figure who still suffers from addiction, poverty, and emasculation—such that he seeks to corrupt the healing properties of these sacred traditions for his own personal gain. Rudy’s hunger for power wreaks havoc across generations of women that include Mami, Mi-Jeanne, and Ti-Jeanne. When Mami distances herself from him after she is fed up with his abuse, he inflicts injury upon their daughter, Mi-Jeanne, in turn. The cycle of violence almost continues through Ti-Jeanne when she nearly relinquishes her soul from her body to become Rudy’s duppy. However, by drawing from Mami’s lessons, she discovers that she has the power to end the violence in her family line by fighting back.

The novel proposes that the process of ending the cycle of generational violence is black women-centered and includes a recommitment to knowing one’s culture and history. In the last chapter, Mi-Jeanne and Ti-Jeanne contend with the aftermath of Rudy’s gruesome impact on their lives. For Ti-Jeanne, this means the discomfort of hearing her mother’s shame, remorse, and resentment towards her.

Ti-Jeanne acknowledges that “[t]here was a lot between them that Ti-Jeanne would have preferred be left unspoken, but after twelve years of silence, Mi-Jeanne was eager to unburden herself” (241). As part of repairing their relationship, Mi-Jeanne and Ti-Jeanne must rectify the emotional wounds between them. This is aided by their co-planning of Mami’s wake in keeping with the tradition of Afro-Caribbean funereal practice. The wake is a reminder of the wider community of support who will be there for Ti-Jeanne and her family. During the wake, Ti-Jeanne is also asked to heal others, continuing her grandmother’s sacred work. While there is still significant healing to be done, the closing chapter suggests that Mi-Jeanne and Ti-Jeanne are on their way to repairing the violence done to their familial line.