Hurricane Child

“He’s already going through enough, hanging on that cross, crown of thorns on his head, without having to listen to us too.”

Missus Wilhelmina drags Caroline through the church, and her voice bounces into Jesus Christ hanging from the cross. Caroline is able to see beyond herself in this moment, and it is an example of how she sees things that nobody else sees. Caroline identifies with the persecution of Jesus here, as Missus Wilhelmina beats her in front of the other students. It’s as if Caroline is being kicked while she’s already down.

“And even though most people always wanted to let go after just a few seconds, my mom would only stop hugging me when I told her to, and if it were up to me, she’d just keep holding on forever.”

Caroline has decided she must find her mother again and connects her memory of her mother’s embrace to the future dream of finding her and never letting her go again. The memory shows the immense love Caroline has for her mother. Her mother represents safety and a nurturing presence that Caroline longs for in her absence.

“The lonely children like me are the ones who grow up to be someone that everyone wishes they could be.”

Caroline is attempting to self-soothe and lessen her loneliness. This quote illustrates Caroline’s voice and character—sensitive, determined, and analytical. As Anise is the most popular girl in school, she is also the lead bully and the opposite of Caroline, who keeps to herself unless provoked. Caroline hopes to grow up to be stronger than she is in this moment.

“People with yellow hair and blue eyes did the brainwashing themselves, so the moment I saw Marie I decided I didn’t like her, since everyone automatically likes her for looking the way she does, and everyone automatically hates me for the way I do.”

Caroline is acutely aware of how her skin color provokes others’ mistreatment of her and how some people in positions of authority, like Missus Wilhelmina, have a preference. Caroline frequently acknowledges the hypocrisy of certain aspects in religion and in Missus Wilhelmina’s assertions that there are too many black people in the Caribbean. There is also a social status element; Missus Wilhelmina never mentions Water Island to where slaves historically escaped.

“Almost like I didn’t really belong in this world. Hurricane just tore me from the spirit world and spat me out into this one instead.”

Caroline recalls the story her mother would tell her about the night she was born. She grapples with her identity and sense of belonging throughout the novel, and here she defines herself as a Hurricane Child. The idea of the spirit world contrasts the life she currently lives. Later, Caroline will speculate that Kalinda must not be from this world due to her knowledge of various theories of existence, and at one point Caroline believes her mother must have gone to the spirit world.

“I’ve known my father my entire life, and he knew me even before my life began, so it’s a funny notion, that I still have to get to know him.”

Caroline learns that her father has traveled to many countries. She recognizes that he had a life before her, and she starts to see that he exists beyond his role as her father. This is a turning point for Caroline, and she begins to use her imagination to speculate how others must view their existence. Previously, she was stuck in a constant frame of mind regarding her mother, but this new use of her imagination allows her to learn more about herself through others’ experiences.

“A new student. It’s like a dream, almost, to be seen by someone who has never looked at you before […] It’s more than a chance to create a new identity. It’s a chance to really become someone else—or, perhaps, to really become myself.”

For Caroline, Kalinda represents a fresh start and a blank slate. Meeting and getting to know Kalinda is an opportunity to not only escape into what life is like for her but to also learn who she is. This continues Caroline’s realization about her father and his travels before she was born. She is developing a larger sense of the individuality of others’ experiences.

“My mom said that children are children because they know nothing about death, so I guess that day I stopped being a child.”

Caroline often feels like she is not a child but not yet an adult, and this saying comes up again when Kalinda tells Caroline a similar experience she had. They bond over this feeling of lost innocence while still figuring out who they are growing up to be. This quote builds on the theme of wanting to grow up while still being a child. By the end of the novel, Caroline realizes that she is in fact still a child.

“Maybe in the same way that I can’t imagine being ninety, this woman looks at sea turtles and thinks she cannot imagine being two hundred years old, and maybe the sea turtle looks at our islands and thinks he cannot imagine existing since the beginning of time.”

Miss Joe points to an elderly woman who is 90 years old, and Caroline thinks about how she cannot grasp living that long. She is able to see beyond herself here by imagining what life may be like from a different perspective. As Caroline continues to use her imagination in this way, she gains a better understanding of others, and through that practice, of herself too.

“People didn’t like seeing slaves like that, and people don’t like seeing a woman like that now either. It makes those people even madder when Miss Joe stands so tall and reads big books and talks like she has not a care in the world. I decide in that moment that I want to be precisely like Miss Joe, and I stand a little straighter.”

Caroline is empowered by Miss Joe’s independence as a Black woman despite what others may say. Miss Joe exemplifies the kind of woman Caroline wants to become. Miss Joe’s strength and understanding help Caroline overcome both the absence and return of her mother.

“She’s letting me inside her head, and for the first time in my life, I feel I can almost imagine it—what it’d be like to exist as a completely different person, to have their own thoughts and feelings instead of my own.”

Caroline embraces this new point of view. For a long time, she felt stuck in her own isolation. Kalinda provides the friendship and connection she has been craving. This is another example of Caroline’s ability to separate from her own frame of mind to gain a better understanding of her purpose.

“I don’t like that there are some instruments that are considered prettier than others. I feel like those instruments are always listened to.”

Kalinda explains why she listens to Mister Thompson’s accordion at night to fall asleep. She likes that it’s different, and that makes it important. Caroline feels like she herself is the accordion. This conversation brings up themes of identity and shows Caroline that Kalinda is open-minded and willing to see things from a different perspective.

“There isn’t anything about you that would make me feel that you aren’t someone to love.”

Kalinda says this to Caroline when Caroline explains that her mother may have left because she doesn’t love her anymore. Kalinda’s validation is exactly what Caroline needs in this moment, and it allows her to keep going. Their conversation emphasizes the theme of questioning self-worth and seeking validation.

“Time is something we’ve made up in our heads. Time isn’t real at all.”

Kalinda explains that time is a construct. Time, as it exists, encompasses everything that has happened before she was born, her entire life, and everything that happens after. This is a confusing concept for Caroline, who previously never gave it much thought, and these larger concepts tend to send her into a spiral of existential anxiety. 

“It means we should think for ourselves. Decide if something is wrong just because someone says it’s so, or decide it’s right because that’s how we feel.”

Caroline reshapes the way Kalinda sees the world. Kalinda was taught that being attracted to girls is a sin, and Caroline was taught that too, but Caroline explains that not everything they’ve been taught is always the only way or the right way.

“I was afraid to, because I’ve been told it’s wrong, but you’re right—I don’t want to think that way, just because someone said it’s so. I know the truth. I love you.”

Kalinda expresses her love for Caroline for the first time and apologizes for everything that’s happened. This is a turning point for both of them as they identify with their truths and reconsider what they’ve been taught about the world. Caroline provided an opportunity for Kalinda to grow, and in Kalinda’s realizations about herself, both girls find validation for their feelings.

“I was a woman who was sure I didn’t have a right to exist in this world […] But now I know that I do. Just the same as anyone else. I have a right to exist and live and love and be loved.”

Caroline has been seeking the permission to be herself, and Caroline’s mother gives it to her. Caroline struggled with feeling invisible, but the feeling is being torn down by this new validation, especially since it comes from her mother. This moment demonstrates the theme of sight and invisibility as well as questioning self-worth and seeking validation.

“I left—traveled the world and saw such amazing things. Things I want you to see for yourself someday too, Caroline.”

Just as her father had traveled to other countries, her mother has, too, and it has had a lasting positive effect on her. Caroline’s mother explains to Caroline that there is so much more for her to experience, and although it doesn’t make sense to Caroline why her mother left, this exchange helps her appreciate everything, even the difficult times.

“An infinite number of universes and an infinite amount of time, and we were able to meet each other. We could have been born millions of years apart, but we were able to meet each other and fall in love. That’s a true miracle, isn’t it?”

Kalinda writes to Caroline from Barbados. Kalinda recognizes how precious time is and the privilege it was to meet Caroline. They have helped each other grow, and although they don’t know what their future holds, they will always be connected through this shared experience.

“It’s so easy to be self-involved when you’re young.”

Miss Joe tells Caroline a hard truth. She explains that Caroline still has a lot of growing up to do and that although she can’t fully understand why her mother did what she did, or even agree with it, it happened, and she still loves her regardless of her choices.

“There’s much more in this life to fear than just spirits, and if I let fear rule my every move, I will become nothing more than a little ghost child myself.”

Caroline thinks about what Kalinda told her about discussing spirits out loud, but she is no longer afraid. She tells Miss Joe about the woman in black, and it is a moment of control and growth for Caroline. She is allowing herself to be vulnerable while acknowledging that change is good, even if it’s scary.

“A memory I did not know I had comes to me. Beneath the waves, sucked beneath, the feel of her warm grasp. She pulled me from the sea. She’s always been with me. She’s always protected me.”

Caroline realizes for the first time that the Woman in Black may be closer to a guardian angel than a demon. She sees there is a flip-side to every perspective, and she is in control of how she views her own experiences. It is when Caroline gains this new perspective that the woman in black seemingly disappears.

“It was the song for one era of my life. But that era has passed now. I can look at that time and listen to that song and appreciate that this is what I’ve come from—but I can also recognize how I’ve changed.”

Caroline’s mother explains to her why she used to sing “Blackbird” all the time. She no longer views her life that way, though she recognizes why she felt the ways she did then and sees things differently now. Caroline can reshape her point of view on her own life as well.