Barriers

Barriers play a role throughout the novel in both literal and figurative senses. Barriers can appear in a very concrete manner, such as in the form of the sliding glass partition in Shug's taxi (41), or the fences in front of the houses in Pithead (99). Barriers are not only used in a concrete sense to separate space, people, and physical objects, but barriers are also erected to keep away uncomfortable truths, ideas, and realizations. Agnes' clothes and jewelry for example protect her from her fear of being perceived as low-class. Alcoholism as well is portrayed as a barrier between Agnes and reality.

The glass partition in Shug's taxi is the central image of the barrier in the novel. He is depicted using it early-on to shield himself from the conversation of a passenger (41), but later the partition is used by Shug to distance himself from Agnes and...