“I don't even know what happiness means. Far as I can make out, it's like love, there when you need it less, gone when you need it more. Hope is the one reliable thing I know.”
The quotation by the matriarch of the family to the daughter expresses the process of womanhood in terms of aspects of happiness, love, and hope. Beka is dealing with despair and trauma and is acting out which is rather perceived by her parents as rebelliousness. They do not take notice of the fact that she is in emotional pain and is having a hard time experiencing happiness. Accordingly, the quotation illustrates how the construct of happiness is perceived in their home which has unfortunately been passed down. That happiness is not an element that is taken into account and any response caused by supposed unhappiness is scrutinized.
“We can't sit down and keep rehashing what people did to us in the past, Ma, or use those injustices as any kind of complete excuse for our present situation.”
The politics of Belize is a central focus in the narrative through the eyes of different members of the family from each generation. Everyone is paranoid about the political state and harbors opinions of what should have or be done for the nation. The political struggles brought on by the British rule from colonial expectations and the injustices suffered loom through the discourses. The statement demonstrates Bill’s stance on the state of affairs in the nation, he rebukes the politicking of the previous generation for doing the blame game.
