Cynthia, who is unable to shrug off the oppressive patriarchy of the movement and defines herself in contrast to the image of the black matriarch, perceives herself as the responsible black woman who willingly subjugates her autonomy, spirit, and vision to help establish a black patriarchal world order. Accepting the commands and chastisement of her husband, she is at his beck and call. Sonnyman's directive that she run down to their apartment and perform the gender-specific activity of cooking eggs for Bill's model draws from her a "weary look" but a complacent verbal response: "Oh, Sonny, that's such a lovely idea." Later, she is rendered mute by Sonny-man's childlike chiding of her for apologizing to Tommy for their role in Bill's deception. "Cynthia, I tell you all the time, keep outta other people's business. What the hell you got to do with who's gonna get what outta...