Birdie and Cole’s Relationship
After reading section one I was strongly drawn to the relationship between Birdie and Cole. They shared a strong sisterly bond in which they relied on each other for everything. Birdie defined herself by Cole. This is demonstrated on page five when Birdie says “Before I ever saw myself, I saw my sister. When I was still to small for mirrors. I saw her as my reflections that proved my existence.” Although in this quote Birdie talks about how when she was younger this is what she felt, i still feel that as she got older, she still viewed Cole as her reflection. Birdie was dependent upon Cole and it seemed as though Cole was more of a mother to Birdie than their birth mother was. It becomes apparent how reliant Birdie is on Cole when they entered Nkrumah. Cole easily fit in with the other students because she had the marked characteristics of an African American. Birdie on the other hand was teased and picked on. As Cole made friends and found her place within the school, Birdie realized that she also needed to find a way to fit in so that she would not lose the relationship she had with her sister. Both Cole and Birdie changed their appearances and personalities to fit into with there classmates. Over time Birdie found her own group of friends called the Brown Sugars but still tried to keep a close relationship with her sister. Unfortunately at the end of the section we get a glimpse into how their relationship is slowly diminishing. As Cole gets older, she seems to be separating herself from Birdie. It makes me wonder, what will happen to their relationship?
I definately agree with you when you say that Cole is more of a mother to Biridie than her real mother is. Her mother is too busy fighting with her husband lol and “can’t raise a black daughter”.
I agree. I loved how Cole stuck up for her little sister in school and told the girls not to pick on her sister. But we do see some foreshadowing for what is to come with their relationship. I don’t think the closeness they share will last unfortunately.