Teeth

Safiya breaks one of her teeth when she is playing with Lij and her parents cannot afford to get it fixed. Her father shows no concern for how the other children might torment her for her appearance and he scorns what he perceives as her vanity. The broken tooth and Safiya’s subsequent reticence to smile and be as effusive as she was before is a symbol of punishment against breaking her father’s rules for modesty and the proper behavior of girls and women. Safiya darkly suspects that he even likes that she feels embarrassed and retreats into herself.

Hair

The dreadlocked hair of the Rasta community serves as a clear barrier between them and the rest of the world they believe to be unclean. It is also a symbol of their exclusion from Jamaican society and the prejudice that pervades their lifestyle. Safiya feels...