Crick Crack Monkey Essay

It is those who raise us that have the heaviest influence on the people we grow up to be. In Merle Hodge’s book, Crick, Crack, Monkey, Tee’s behavior fluctuates throughout the novel due to the influence of the two contrasting maternal figures in her life: Tantie and Auntie Beatrice. By the end of the novel, Tee’s tone when talking about Tantie shifts from loving to scornful after living with Auntie Beatrice. The change in Tee’s tone is used by Merle Hodge as a way of demonstrating how different mother figures influenced Tee’s upbringing and shaped her throughout her early development. Above all, it is important to note that Merle Hodge’s book is in chronological order and the shift in tone demonstrates how Tee's guardians influenced her opinions

In chapter 23, Tantie brings food to Auntie Beatrice’s for a surprise visit to Tee. In response to seeing the food, Tee states, “The worst moment of all was when they drew forth a series of greasy paper bags, all manner of ordinary nastiness.” (Hodge 118). Hodge’s use of descriptive words such as “nastiness” and “greasy” helps the reader see the food brought to Tantie from Tee’s eyes. Similarly, in the text it states, “Uncle Sylvester eased his mass up slowly, sighing disgustingly (just like a n*****man, I thought),” (Hodge 119). Not only does Tee continue to use words such as “disgustingly” and refer to her uncle’s actions as “easing his mass,” she also utilizes a slur. Tee’s use of the N slur amplifies Tee’s tone of repugnance when viewing Tantie’s side of the family. Overall, Hodge’s word choice throughout chapter 23 was extremely effective in conveying Tee’s visual perception, in turn further showing Tee’s tone towards Tantie by the end of the novel. As seen through Hodge’s novel, Tee’s tone is dependent on the parental figure she spends more time around. However, both of the parental figures in the text are not her biological