Home in Others

     Woodson’s own concept of home, I feel, evolves throughout the story’s progression. In the beginning, she is very focused on places and the feelings they provoke. Her geographical position greatly impacts her and the other characters’ mood, feelings of belonging and coincidentally, their comfort levels, which, in turn, all impact behavior. It is true that Jackie and her family must behave differently depending on their location. For example, take their obvious demeanor and mannerism change as the children make those journeys from North to South. 


    However, I would submit that Jackie’s concept of home takes on a less tangible form later in the story. While she does notice the comforting, home-like vibrations radiated from her various family members, the two remained coincidental until the climax of the book, aligning with Jackie’s increased self-awareness. She finds feelings of “home” and belonging while thinking of people, while reading, and in some way while she’s projecting herself onto others. In her fast approaching maturity, Jackie cultivates her personality and a home for herself in the experiences of others. This becomes especially noticeable in her appreciation for Hope and Grace, with whom she witnesses reading and forming relationships with characters that are undoubtedly products that must be handled and adapted in order to associate with Hope, Grace, and eventually Jackie. The process in which Jackie learns to find new or existing pieces of herself already present in the world stems from Hope and Grace's practice of building bonds with encountered characters. 

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