Guilt and Regret

Tyrell’s mother’s anguish and guilt about being a single mom due to her husband’s incarceration is largely repressed until she begins to delve deeper into her friendship with Novisha’s mother. Tyrell’s mother is able to limit expressing her feelings of disappointment to Tyrell and Troy rather than sharing them with other people in her community. Tyrell’s mother feels as if it is not her fault that she is on her own and she struggles to see her situation as a failing of both herself and the man who fathered her children. Tyrell’s mother is cognizant of the lack of opportunities she has enjoyed in her life, but she is also penalized by the negative societal perception of her situation. When she begins to get closer to Novisha’s mother, she is again facing shame for her station...