Silver Sparrow Relationship

Relationships are often difficult and messy especially in the world Tayari Jones presents in her 2012 novel Silver Sparrow, chronicling the lives of the two daughters of bigamist father James Witherspoon. Jones complicates the world of Dana Yarboro by making her the secret daughter her father attempts to hide from the prying view of the world. While Chaurisse Witherspoon enjoys the luxury of suburban life. Throughout the novel Jones’ characters Dana tries to reconcile how she can be part of her father’s family but not truly a part of his life. While Chaurisse moves through the world with blissful ignorance of the secret life that lay just on the other side of town. Both girls evolution throughout the novel illustrates strong character development as Jones discusses the

The unusual part of Chaurisse’s life and the privilege in which she lives is not reviled to her by Jones until later once she and Dana meet and become friends. The relationship between Chaurisse and her father is fairly normal of that between a father and a daughter. Chaurisse and her mother also have a sisterly relationship fueled in part by the hair salon that her mother owns and runs out of their house. Chaurisse, who is less interested in boys than Dana is more interested in breaking out of the plain wrapper in which she lives. When Dana befriends her the beige world Jones places her in opens up and turns silver. Much like Jones herself Chaurisse doesn’t believe there is much about herself that is special therefore she always longs for a friend: “When I explained why I wasn’t interested in having friends, I complained that “girls are too messy,” but it was a lie. The messiness was what I craved”. (p 211) Even in a world where everything seems neatly wrapped relationships are messy as Jones reviles through Dana and her mother when they confront “the other family” about their status and rights in the