Abeng Pt. 3

I started section three on page 85. Here we meet Zoe, who is Clares friend when she goes to visit her grandmother. There is an obvious power imbalance between Zoe and Clare that is obvious from the start of the introduction of their friendship. We get the first glimpse of how different they are from the description of how their schools are. Zoe walks to school barefoot so that she can save her shoes and wears clothes the were gifted to her and takes extreme care of them.

These girls were put together it seems to keep Clare busy during the summer. Zoe is like Clare’s keeper. The difference in skin color is something that points to the major differences in their lives and the roles they have not only during the summer but also in society. Zoe teaches Clare about menstruation when Clare starts to learn more about her body. In this section this is when there is an awakening of Clare’s understanding of her body.

Cuffy: an insult; confused