49 pages • 1-hour read
Junie
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Themes
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, emotional abuse, and racism.
Pursuit of Autonomy and Self-Emancipation
Junie’s coming-of-age journey is defined by her search for agency, autonomy, and freedom. At 16 years old, she has never known a life outside of her enslavement on Bellereine Plantation. She grows up accepting that she has no power over her circumstances and no capacity to choose her future. However, the more conflicts she encounters at Bellereine, the more she realizes that she must take control of her fate, setting her on a path of transformation that will lead to her freedom.
Junie’s inherent physical and spiritual longing to be free is illustrated through the novel’s recurring images of Junie climbing Old Mother, walking in the forest, running through the plantation, and studying the river. While in the woods, she is surrounded by untamed land, which symbolizes her own vivacious spirit. When climbing Old Mother, she is able to look out over the land and imagine a life where she is in full control of her fate; she is situated above the plantation and thus above her enslavement. When she runs away from conversations or altercations, she is trying to free herself from her emotional discomfort. When she studies the river, she is able to imagine a route out of her enslavement. In one scene, she “follows the stream with her eyes, watching it bend to meet the Alabama River,” and wonders if this will “be the water that carries her away from home” (52). These images suggest that even before Junie knows that she will escape Bellereine, she longs for a way to seize her autonomy.
Violet McQueen’s impending marriage catalyzes Junie’s attempt to exercise agency over her life for the first time. Although “Violet has always seemed to Junie a free person” (45), Junie quickly realizes that whatever happens to Violet will influence her fate, too. Determined not to lose any more of her family, Junie steals Minnie’s necklace to save Violet and herself. This action awakens Minnie’s ghost and launches Junie’s pursuit of ultimate emancipation. Minnie helps Junie see that life on the plantation isn’t life at all, but she must be brave if she wants to live beyond the subjugation imposed by her enslavers. Junie comes to understand that “[t]here is no way out” but the one she creates for herself and that there is “no one to solve [her situation] for her” (52). Once she realizes that she must fight for her agency, Junie is able to start making choices of her own to set herself free.
Junie’s ability to free herself at the novel’s end conveys how her character has grown. Her self-emancipation isn’t one dimensional, nor is it a wholly joyous experience. Rather, to set herself free, Junie must make sacrifices—leaving her family, her friends, and her love behind. She must also part with her sister’s spirit and launch out into the unknown alone. Doing so requires marked bravery and maturity, which Junie has developed over the course of the novel, as well as the longing for freedom that is established early in the novel as a fundamental part of her character. Freeing herself is a physical, spiritual, and emotional endeavor, and through Junie’s example, the novel explores the perseverance, determination, and sacrifice required to attain true freedom.
Power of Sisterhood and Ancestral Guidance
In Junie, Junie’s relationship with her late sister Minnie’s ghost conveys how spiritual guidance might emerge from unexpected sources. When Junie steals the necklace from Minnie’s grave, she does not expect to awaken her sister’s spirit. However, Minnie’s presence becomes a guiding force in Junie’s life over the course of the novel. Minnie guides Junie in a variety of ways. She helps Junie make sense of the past by clarifying what happened to their mother and herself, helps her understand the dire nature of her circumstances by urging her to set herself free, and helps her locate her own strength and courage by assuring her that freedom will follow. Further, Minnie helps Junie confront and overcome her grief and guilt over Minnie’s death by opening up about her emotional experience. In these ways, Minnie assumes the role of Junie’s archetypal guide, leading her through key stages of her coming-of-age journey.
Junie’s evolving regard for Minnie’s ghost teaches her how to believe in herself and form a dynamic relationship with the supernatural. Although Junie is initially terrified of her sister’s spirit, Muh assures her that ghosts are a normal part of life. The ghosts that one can see, Muh explains, aren’t “meant to be here; they was trapped somehow, or disturbed” (67). This lesson helps Junie understand that she needs to save both herself and Minnie. She believes that Minnie might be caught in the “In-Between” because of Junie’s involvement in her death; after all, “it was Minnie who told her not to climb on the weak branch, who jumped into the freezing river after her” (79). Freeing Minnie, Junie believes, might be the only way for her to liberate herself from her guilt and sorrow over Minnie’s passing. When Junie devotes herself to “sav[ing] her sister’s soul,” she begins “to pursue redemption” for herself as well (79). Junie’s relationship with Minnie suggests that the spirit world is not a static realm in which the spirits help their human counterparts; Junie not only goes to Minnie for guidance but also tries to help Minnie, too. By forming a connection with the supernatural, Junie is able to learn about herself, help Minnie move on, and gain closure for her own grief over Minnie’s death.
In a narrative world based on historical eras of violence and subjugation, Junie finds freedom in relying on Minnie. At times, Junie resists her sister’s advice and finds Minnie’s presence more intrusive than comforting. At other times, Junie feels that Minnie’s ghost is the only one who understands her situation. Minnie also alternates between getting frustrated with Junie and encouraging her to be strong. These vacillating emotional dynamics between Junie and Minnie authenticate the strength of their bond—even death has not dulled the sisters’ connection. This aspect of their relationship implies that individuals are always connected to their lost loved ones and that believing in the spiritual world can deepen these ancestral connections. With the relationship between Junie and Minnie, Eckstine explores both the depth of their sisterly connection and the power of ancestral guidance.
Love Within Enslaved Communities
Junie’s interpersonal relationships with characters like Violet, Granddaddy, Minnie, and Caleb evolve her understanding of love throughout Junie. She has never known a life outside of her enslavement on Bellereine and believes that it is possible to find love and form loving relationships amid her traumatic circumstances. She has found this love in her relationships with Granddaddy and Violet in particular. With Granddaddy (and also Marilla, Muh, and Bess), Junie understands familial love. With Violet, Junie believes she understands platonic love. She later discovers the beauty of romantic love with Caleb and the importance of sororal love with her late sister Minnie’s ghost. Although Junie’s definition of love changes over the course of the novel, all these relationships are essential to how she understands human connection.
Junie’s complicated relationship with Violet and the way it changes affect how she understands love, affection, and care. Because Junie has grown up with Violet, and Violet has shown her kindness, Junie believes that they love each other. Violet has taught Junie to read, allows Junie to read her books, shares secrets with her, and lets Junie spend time in her space. These actions all seem like evidence of her love. Over time, however, Violet’s behavior toward Junie begins to change; the more controlling she becomes, the more apparent the lopsided power dynamic between her and Junie is. In time, Junie realizes that she can’t base her understanding of love on her relationship with Violet any longer. This becomes especially apparent to Junie when Violet tries to invite her back as her housemaid: “Looking at her pleading face, Junie knows she will always love Violet in some way. But love in any form demands equality. And no equality will ever be found in Bellereine” (298). Because Junie and Violet have never been equals, Junie realizes that they cannot share a balanced, healthy, and reciprocal dynamic.
In contrast, Junie’s relationship with Caleb offers her a truer representation of what love can look like. With Caleb, she finds that there’s “room for love” amid their harrowing circumstances; they need only “carve it out” for themselves (241). Unlike Violet, Caleb listens to Junie, values what she values, invests in her life, and has hopes for her future. The recurring images of Junie and Caleb spending time together underscore the depth and strength of their bond. Although they face constant fear and violence, the two spend time climbing trees, discussing poetry, reading stories, dancing, and being intimate. These images imply that even love can survive trauma. Furthermore, love can help an individual withstand trauma, as is true for Junie and Caleb. Their love for each other sustains them while at Bellereine and ultimately motivates them to free themselves at the novel’s end. Over the course of the novel, Junie comes to a new understanding of love, illustrated by the relationships she has with her family and Caleb, which are based on love and respect between equals.
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