Leonie has always been aware of her lack of adequacy as a parent but excuses this neglect through her victim mindset and drug use, causing Jojo to constantly long for motherly love and attention. In the novel, this is shown through the “hunger” Jojo feels which is used to represent Jojo’s starvation of motherly love.
To Jojo, food represents love and caring. As Jojo fed the betta fish Leonie got him, he’d imagine, “instead of crunching, little words would pop out the bubbles that fizzed up to the surface. Big face. Light. And love” (108). Jojo associates feeding his fish with love, and when Leonie neglects his request for more fish food and Bubbly Bubbles dies, Jojo is harshly introduced to Leonie’s indifference toward others and begins to associate hunger with apathy.
As the novel progresses, Jojo’s craving for love is displayed through his unconscious desire that Leonie will provide food for him. For example, one morning, Jojo notes his hunger as he walks to their kitchen, smells cooking food, and says, “I think it’s Leonie, and I feel something in me soften for a minute, rethink all the bad I thought about her the night before” (224). Jojo makes such a strong connection between food and love in his mind that he’s willing to forgive Leonie at the first notion that she’s starting to assume her motherly duties and make food for him and his little sister. However, he quickly realizes it’s Michael cooking, and when asked if he’s hungry, says, “Naw” (224). Jojo is quick to refuse food from others, emphasizing his longing for love from his mother and hinting at his resentment toward everyone who drove her away from him such as Michael, who fuels her drug addiction. He also rejects food from Al the morning after Jojo cares for Kayla while all of the adults did drugs, despite mentioning, “the grinding sunk of my stomach” (123). Jojo resents Al for supporting Leonie’s drug addiction as well, recognizing that it’s a means of escape for her that allows her to ignore her motherly duties and drives her further away from him and Kayla.
Hunger is also used to illustrate Leonie’s self-awareness that she’s incapable of properly caring for her children. On page 95, Leonie notes, “Sometimes, when Jojo’s playing with Kayla or sitting in Mama’s room rubbing her hands or helping her turn over in bed, I look at him and see a hungry girl.” Leonie sees Jojo as a girl because she recognizes that he’s doing all of the tasks she should be doing as a mother and daughter. She sees Jojo as a replacement of herself and the hunger she sees in him is his desire for Leonie to show that she cares for her family, especially him and Kayla. Unfortunately, despite this recognition of the “hunger” Jojo feels, Leonie promptly shifts her attention to Misty, further emphasizing that she’s aware, yet apathetic, towards Jojo and the responsibilities that have fallen onto him because of her inadequacy.
Physical hunger as a metaphor for a hunger for love is a strong method of highlighting additional ways in which Jojo views love and the lack of care he receives from his mother. As you mention, there are numerous references to Jojo’s and Michaela’s hunger throughout the book, frequently when they are in the company of Leonie or when she is not paying them enough attention. His view of food as a form of love also shines through when he seeks to feed Michaela on the road trip (Ward 89, 100, 107). However, Jojo removes the food or drink Leonie gives Michaela to heal. He refuses to continue to force feed her Powerade while she is throwing up and forces her to throw up Leonie’s concoction, seeing it as poison (Ward 101-102, 118). Jojo views her love as toxic, firmly asserting that “Leonie kill things” (Ward 108).
ReplyDeleteWhile they are on the road trip, I also feel like Jojo is mad at Leonie when she declines food by those who offer it (Ward 84). Her rejection of food, a gesture of care and hospitality, is another expression of her neglect for her children since it denies them, in extension, the food and care they could have received (Ward 84). Regardless of whether it was originating from Leonie, she is ultimately the person who cuts off their access to this food.
Towards the end of the book, Mam also acknowledges the connection between food and the love Jojo receives. As she is dying, she tells Jojo about the love Leonie has for him, but also the struggles Leonie has in expressing herself. She says to him, “She ain’t never going to feed you” (Ward 233). Mam’s choice of words solidifies food as love and care, stating that it is never something Jojo will truly receive from Leonie.