Me (Moth) Essay Questions

What role does transformation play in Me (Moth)?

Defined variously as an animal's metamorphosis or a dramatic change in form, transformation plays a significant role in Me (Moth) as one of the novel's major themes. McBride highlights the thematic significance of transformation when Moth comments on the life cycle of the insects with whom she shares her name. Along with butterflies, moths transform from crawling to winged insects after spending a period wrapped in a cocoon. This unique biological process provides a template for Moth's own transformation, which she doesn't realize is underway. Oblivious to her own death, Moth narrates the novel from an intermediary state of being that is akin to the moth's cocoon. Having left her mortal life but not having passed beyond to her eternal life as a spirit, Moth is stuck in a bewildering purgatory-like zone. Sani is in a cocoon stage of his own, divided between life with his abusive stepfather and a life of social ostracization back home with his father. However, with mutual encouragement, both characters find the power to emerge from their cocoons. At the end of the book, Moth sprouts wings that allow her to flutter to the afterlife with her grandfather; meanwhile, Sani moves out of his depressive period and accesses his singing voice again.

What is a major factor that draws Moth and Sani together?

Among the most significant factors that draw Moth and Sani to each other is their shared desire to heal from trauma. Defined as physical injury or emotional shock following a disturbing event, trauma is something both characters struggle to recover from. For Moth, losing her parents and brother in a car accident that she believes she survived has left her with both a visible scar on her forehead and an invisible emotional wound in her heart. For Sani, his parents' separation has left him torn between his Navajo community and his mother, who has started a new "white family" in a Virginia suburb. Sani also struggles with the lifelong trauma of being susceptible to spirits, a capacity that outsiders see as a curse. However, once Sani fulfills his obligation to Moth's grandfather to guide Moth to the afterlife, he is free to heal from his trauma and sing again. Similarly, Moth overcomes the trauma of her family's deaths by accepting her own death. Having healed her emotional wounds through her connection with Sani, she takes her place in the afterlife with her ancestors and finds that her soul is finally at peace.

What is the significance of ritual in Me (Moth)?

In Me (Moth), ritual is a major theme that Amber McBride weaves throughout the narrative. A religious ceremony comprising actions performed according to a certain order, ritual first appears in the book when Moth comments on the Hoodoo spell casting and prayer she has learned from Grandfather. At one point, Moth dreams of her grandfather taking her to a Nashville cemetery where he performs a Hoodoo ritual that involves burying significant objects while praying before uniting the objects in the soil. He explains that he is doing "long work" by creating a "finding spell." The meaning of this ritual is revealed at the novel's climax when the reader learns that Grandfather's cemetery ritual was designed to unite Sani and Moth one day. Having predicted Moth's death, Grandfather made use of Sani's ability to see ghosts. With his spell, Grandfather made the boy do his bidding by helping guide Moth during her journey to the afterlife. Therefore, Grandfather's investment in the power of ritual sets off the entire movement of the book's plot.

In what way is Me (Moth) a book about isolation?

Isolation is a significant theme in Me (Moth). From the novel's outset, Amber McBride depicts Moth's isolated existence following the deaths of her parents and brother. Two years after the car accident, Moth has yet to integrate into social life at her high school and is shown to have little contact with Aunt Jack despite sharing a home. Moth is aware of her isolation, commenting on how even the bullies ignore her, which she believes is because they know about her family tragedy and are exercising restraint. When Sani comes into Moth's life, she finally has a companion who recognizes her existence. As the story develops, it becomes clear that Sani is also a solitary figure who finds himself alienated at school and in his mother's home. Upon arriving at Sani's father's house, Moth discovers that Sani's history of mental illness and his susceptibility to being influenced by supernatural beings has led people to avoid him on the Navajo Nation reservation. While Moth and Sani find some solace and escape from their isolation by offering each other support, McBride complicates the story by revealing that Moth is a ghost who is invisible to everyone but Sani. This ironic turn emphasizes each character's isolation, showing that Sani has been communing with a spirit the entire time, and that Moth is caught in an intermediary zone where she is incapable of contacting either the living or the dead.

What role does the concept of grief play in Me (Moth)?

As one of the novel's major themes, grief plays a crucial role in Me (Moth). Defined as deep sorrow caused by someone's death, grief first arises at the novel's outset when Moth discusses the car crash that killed her parents and brother. Two years later, Moth's prolonged grieving process is evident as she goes about her life while avoiding other people and refusing to dance, despite dance being an activity she has always cherished. Eventually, McBride reveals that Moth is a ghost who died in the crash alongside her family. This revelation sheds light on the purgatory-like state of perpetual grief in which Moth finds herself stuck as she refuses to take part in life while simultaneously refusing to accept her own death. Ultimately, McBride shows how Moth has stalled in the denial phase of the grieving process. With Sani's influence, Moth learns to accept both her family members' deaths and her own.