Leiden University College
Black British Literature
Response on Girl, Woman, Other and Hold
Circular Endings in Girl, Woman, Other and Hold
Both Girl, Woman, Other and Hold have similar structures regarding their beginning and end.
For starters, they both have circular endings: Girl, Woman, Other starts and ends with Amma's
party, and Hold opens and ends with Mary's funeral (although we only know it's Mary's later in
the novel). They also highlight the importance and value of relationships which allow the
characters to grow.
The opening of the funeral depicts the devastation that Belinda feels and will later be put in
perspective when it is discovered to be for Mary. The devastation and sadness illustrated in the
beginning can be contrasted with how Belinda's grief is not a concern for the adults around her in
later chapters. There is no one to truly support her in her grief or shame in how she treated Mary
and Amma. Instead, characters surrounding Belinda worry about performing the most grandiose
funeral and eulogy. The novel ends with Belinda going to meet her mother before leaving for
London. After regretting how she treated Mary and thinking of how she felt ashamed of Amma,
looking for her mother, a symbol of shame for her which she couldn't tell anyone except Amma,
is a sign of personal development due to this tragic event. Belinda, rather than feeling ashamed
of her mother or Amma's sexuality, the sad event of Mary's death leads her to value the
relationships in her life. Belinda wants to meet her mother (which she always thinks about) rather
than pretend she is dead like she asked Belinda to do.
Similarly, the ending of Girl, Woman, Other ends with the opening party to put all of the
characters we've seen together. Hence, it shows to the reader the tensions, resolved, and
unresolved issues between the various characters after learning about their backstories. This
union helps the readers understand the significance of these different relationships, something
the novel has always emphasized. The stories were never about individual characters, and the
ending highlights this tendency aside from the chapter sections that rely on relationships between
three people. Like Hold, this book ends with Penelope also leaving to meet her birth mother,
growing from her racial prejudice just like Belinda. The latter was ashamed of Amma's sexuality
and her mother's previous profession. Penelope, like Belinda, starts to grow due to the value of
their bonds, learning about her mixed ancestry and caring about forming a relationship with her
non-white mother.
This focus on relationships reminds me of Johny Pitts' comments on how his understandings of
the world and his identity were based on his relationships from the first chapter. The first person
he introduces is his neighbors. He grows and develops and learns about himself and the people
around him through his relationships, like Belinda and Penelope.
Black British Literature
Response on Girl, Woman, Other and Hold
Circular Endings in Girl, Woman, Other and Hold
Both Girl, Woman, Other and Hold have similar structures regarding their beginning and end.
For starters, they both have circular endings: Girl, Woman, Other starts and ends with Amma's
party, and Hold opens and ends with Mary's funeral (although we only know it's Mary's later in
the novel). They also highlight the importance and value of relationships which allow the
characters to grow.
The opening of the funeral depicts the devastation that Belinda feels and will later be put in
perspective when it is discovered to be for Mary. The devastation and sadness illustrated in the
beginning can be contrasted with how Belinda's grief is not a concern for the adults around her in
later chapters. There is no one to truly support her in her grief or shame in how she treated Mary
and Amma. Instead, characters surrounding Belinda worry about performing the most grandiose
funeral and eulogy. The novel ends with Belinda going to meet her mother before leaving for
London. After regretting how she treated Mary and thinking of how she felt ashamed of Amma,
looking for her mother, a symbol of shame for her which she couldn't tell anyone except Amma,
is a sign of personal development due to this tragic event. Belinda, rather than feeling ashamed
of her mother or Amma's sexuality, the sad event of Mary's death leads her to value the
relationships in her life. Belinda wants to meet her mother (which she always thinks about) rather
than pretend she is dead like she asked Belinda to do.
Similarly, the ending of Girl, Woman, Other ends with the opening party to put all of the
characters we've seen together. Hence, it shows to the reader the tensions, resolved, and
unresolved issues between the various characters after learning about their backstories. This
union helps the readers understand the significance of these different relationships, something
the novel has always emphasized. The stories were never about individual characters, and the
ending highlights this tendency aside from the chapter sections that rely on relationships between
three people. Like Hold, this book ends with Penelope also leaving to meet her birth mother,
growing from her racial prejudice just like Belinda. The latter was ashamed of Amma's sexuality
and her mother's previous profession. Penelope, like Belinda, starts to grow due to the value of
their bonds, learning about her mixed ancestry and caring about forming a relationship with her
non-white mother.
This focus on relationships reminds me of Johny Pitts' comments on how his understandings of
the world and his identity were based on his relationships from the first chapter. The first person
he introduces is his neighbors. He grows and develops and learns about himself and the people
around him through his relationships, like Belinda and Penelope.
