Junie

In Part 2, Junie’s relationships with Violet, Caleb, and Minnie’s ghost complicate her Pursuit of Autonomy and Self-Emancipation. Although she is desperate to stay at Bellereine with her family, she finds it increasingly difficult to accomplish her mission without help. In addition, her relationship with Violet begins to change: As the weeks pass, she and Violet start to grow apart. Witnessing “Violet hang on Miss Taylor’s words makes her skin hot with agitation,” and, even worse, “Violet’s affection toward [the brutal] Mr. Taylor is only growing” (126). Junie feels as if she is losing her one friend and confidante on the plantation. At the same time, Junie starts to develop feelings for Caleb, whose presence is predicated by the Taylors, the very people she dislikes. Spending time with Caleb does alleviate some of her sorrow over Violet, but she feels incapable of trusting him; his inevitable departure from the plantation means that as soon as she grows attached to him, she will end up losing him, too. Meanwhile, Junie’s regard for Minnie’s ghost begins to devolve. Although she initially wanted to follow Minnie’s directions to help her sister’s spirit find peace, Minnie’s refusal to trust Junie with the truth makes her feel isolated and reluctant to do what Minnie wants. The complexities of these relationships compromise Junie’s sense of autonomy: Because she can’t be herself around Violet, Caleb, or Minnie, she feels increasingly trapped and incapable of exercising agency.

Minnie’s necklace and box are motifs that act as physical representations of the truth that further complicate Junie’s ongoing journey toward freedom. Both objects end up leading Junie to revelations about her family’s past. When Junie finally discovers that the necklace is the key to the box in Chapter 14, she unearths an array of shocking secrets. “Despite its lightness, the box is filled to the brim” and contains “a stack of ripped papers [and] a glass vial of dried leaves” (132). The papers are particularly informative, as they reveal the truth of William and Charlotte’s relationship, Minnie’s paternity, and Minnie’s formal liberation from enslavement. The image of Junie trying “to arrange the scraps like a puzzle” conveys her work to piece back together the fragments of her family history (133). Rather than offering her hope, these revelations only complicate Junie’s emotions. Everything she uncovers feels like more evidence that her family doesn’t love her and that loss will always be a part of her experience. These discoveries also mark essential turning points along Junie’s self-discovery journey. Because Junie is a coming-of-age novel, each new truth that she encounters about her reality changes how she sees and understands herself. She has always known that life on Bellereine contributes to her identity, but it is not until she opens Minnie’s box that she begins to fully comprehend how much her enslavement has been limiting her relationships and autonomy.

Because the contents of Minnie’s box fracture Junie’s regard for her late sister, she starts to pull away from Minnie’s ghost and doubt the Power of Sisterhood and Ancestral Guidance. She no longer wants to listen to all of Minnie’s “tasks” and “orders” because she no longer feels like she can trust her sister’s love for her. At the same time, without Minnie’s sisterhood and guidance, Junie is all alone. Her loneliness only becomes more acute after the Taylors leave and she loses Caleb. The loss of these two important relationships makes Junie feel isolated and highlights a low point in her journey toward freedom and maturity.

Although Junie and Caleb part ways, their relationship introduces Junie to the possibility of finding Love Within Enslaved Communities. Junie has always loved her family, but she has never felt a personal connection with another person outside of her friendship with Violet. As time passes, however, Violet proves to be an increasingly unreliable friend. Her newfound obsession with the Taylors augments the lopsided power dynamic between her and Junie, who is compelled to seek comfort, solace, and hope in her burgeoning connection with Caleb. Unlike everyone else in Junie’s life, Caleb is Junie’s equal. She is initially hesitant to trust him, but he proves to be a trustworthy companion even after she opens up to him about Minnie’s death, Minnie’s secrets, and her ghost. The care that he shows Junie throughout his stay at Bellereine starts to both soften her heart and empower her. Unlike Violet, Caleb sees Junie’s strength and humanity. The images of the two climbing trees, lying in the hay, discussing poetry, reading books, teasing each other, and swapping stories of their lost loved ones underscore the depth of their connection. Further, these aspects of their relationship capture how love can help individuals survive impossible circumstances.