Love, Ruby Lavender

The “accident” introduced in this section concerns both Ruby’s family and the Lathams and introduces avoidant behaviors the novel’s protagonist possesses. The narrator mentions that Ruby takes the “long way” into town since the accident despite the route taking more time, revealing that Ruby is avoiding something she’d rather not see. She also longs to escape speaking with Leila Latham, whose husband died last summer. Ruby is shocked when Mrs. Latham speaks to her normally, “as if she’d talked to Ruby every day since last summer’s accident” (11). It is unclear what exactly happened in this accident, though both Ruby’s grandfather and Melba’s father were involved. Wiles foreshadows that this link prompts the hostility between the girls.

Through the third-person limited omniscient narrator, Wiles highlights Ruby’s thoughts, feelings, motivations, and wishes and establishes the greatest intimacy with the protagonist. For example, when her aunt asks her to help Mrs. Latham, the narrator says that “Ruby’s heart jumped into her throat” (9), a figurative description that reveals how anxious she feels about interacting with the Lathams. Ruby’s interpretation of her interaction with Melba informs how Melba is characterized in the novel. Notably, because the narrator does not report Melba’s thoughts, it is not clear what motivates her to taunt Ruby. Their altercation, which the narrator depicts from Ruby’s perspective, establishes Melba as the novel’s antagonist. Ruby doesn’t understand Melba’s behavior and is not prepared to sympathize with her, even though Melba’s father died. Eula tries to model empathy when she suggests possible reasons for Melba’s behavior, but Ruby will not try to understand Melba’s position, saying, “Poor old Melba! [….] Poor old me!” (16).

Ruby’s inability or unwillingness to sympathize with others isn’t confined to Melba or people she already doesn’t like; she cannot sympathize with her grandmother who she adores either—further revealing the novel’s characterization of Ruby. When Ruby’s mother reminds her what a difficult time Eula has had since her Grandpa Garnet died, Ruby responds, “But it’s been a whole year” (21), insinuating that this is plenty of time to grieve and move on from his death. When her mother tries to explain grief to her, Ruby changes the subject, insisting she “had a hard time today, too” (22). Through this interaction, Wiles characterizes Ruby selfishly. Notably, in this interaction, Ruby feels like her confrontation with Melba renders her as more deserving of sympathy than her widowed grandmother. Here, Wiles introduces Ruby’s inability to understand The Varied Responses to Grief and Loss, a key theme throughout the novel. Additionally, in expressing frustration that her grandmother still has grief after a year, Ruby’s character depicts the theme of The Persistent Progression of Time. Although only nine and lacking the same maturity as adults, Ruby nevertheless is unable to appreciate or understand others’ perspectives, including her peers and family members. This provides a key foundation for how Ruby’s character arc will develop throughout the novel.

In addition to the exploration of the aforementioned themes, Wiles also introduces the theme of The Sourness and Sweetness of Life in these chapters. After Eula gives her a lemon drop, Ruby recalls her grandfather’s love for the candy, how he told her that most people are like its combination of “sour and sweet together” (18). Though Ruby “couldn’t see” the truth of this—the effect of her limited childlike perception of others—her behavior reveals the truth behind her grandfather’s assertion of people’s concurrent sourness and sweetness. Ruby can be very sweet and a little sour.

Despite possessing both sweet and sour qualities herself, Ruby cannot empathize with these complexities that motivate other character’s actions. Notably, she sees only Melba’s meanness. Eula, however, points out that Melba’s behavior is likely the result of the grief and pain she feels due to her dad’s death. While Ruby sees Melba as entirely mean, or sour, Eula attempts to explain how there is more complexity to the novel’s antagonist.

In this section, Wiles establishes a key catchphrase—“Life does go on” (21)—that Eula and Ruby’s mom, Evelyn, say throughout the novel—further depicting The Persistent Progression of Time. The phrasing of this idea, as opposed to “life goes on,” suggests that there are times in one’s life when it feels like it cannot go on. However, even during those times—when the continuation of life feels impossible because something so tragic has happened such as the death of a family member—it “does.” Eula said this to Ruby’s mother when she found she’d have to raise Ruby alone, and Ruby’s mother reminds Eula of this now. This familial saying establishes why Eula wants to visit her son, daughter-in-law, and new grandchild in Hawaii: she needs a new adventure, as she says, “to see how life does go on” and spend time “away from reminders of Garnet for a while” in Mississippi (32-34). Eula demonstrates that even amid painful grief, time continues. Through Eula’s characterization, Wiles establishes how the characters must accept the sadness of past tragedy and establish new, happy memories.