Segments 7, 8, 9 Summary

The narrator's mother is down-at-heel; once wealthy she now skirts the limits of abject poverty. She drives a Citroën B12 and is apparently oblivious to things apparent to everyone else. The narrator hopes her mother will awaken and escape the doomed colonial life; the mother likewise is obsessed in having the narrator escape the life of poverty. The narrator visits the rue Catinat and frequents the twice-discounted clothing stores. There she purchases her shoes and her man's hat. The new clothing sexualizes the girl and makes her awkwardness alluring—the mother realizes this and, subconsciously, equates the girl's awakening sexuality with money. When the relationship develops, the girl has access to money and the funds are used by the entire family—the mother's acceptance of the money is a tacit approval of the narrator's actions. Later in life, the narrator...