The Last Carolina Girl

“Maybe I should’ve been disappointed to have missed the last moments of majestic lights, but how was I to know I should’ve lingered in that moment with Daddy? How could I predict the oncoming waves and all their ripples?”

The retrospective point of view allows Leah to ponder what could have been done differently while expressing regret for not fully cherishing the moment. The rhetorical questions reflect the narrator’s sense of inevitability about the unpredictable events that followed, suggesting an awareness of life’s uncertainties and the significance of seizing meaningful moments. This passage foreshadows that this will be the last special sunset Leah will share with her father.

“Growing up beside one another since babies, we’d gotten used to each other, knowing how to act when it was only the two of us and realizing our different roles with others around.”

Leah’s sense of self versus her societal role influences her initial bond with Jesse, introducing the theme of The Shortcomings of Upward Mobility. The children prioritize conforming to societal class norms rather than nurturing their genuine connection. It is only later, when Jesse loses Leah to the Griffins, that he realizes what he took for granted when she lived in his backyard.

“But if I’d have known that was my last birthday with Daddy, I might’ve asked more. I might’ve pushed for more stories, more memories to remind me of who Mama was and who I might become.”

The desire for “more stories” and “more memories” reflects Leah’s longing to deepen her understanding of her parents and preserve their legacy within herself. Leah’s understanding of The Complexities of Home and Family evolves through multiple tragic events, shaping her belief that family members serve as custodians of memories. This contrasts with Mrs. Griffin’s attempts to erase and rewrite her past life.