Girl, Woman, Other

Girl, Woman, Other

by

Bernardine Evaristo

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Girl, Woman, Other makes teaching easy.

Jayla Jones Character Analysis

Jayla is LaTisha’s sister and Pauline’s daughter. Sometime after their father, Glenmore, leaves, Pauline reveals that Jayla has a different dad, which explains why Glenmore always favored LaTisha. Against all advice, Jayla goes in search of her biological dad. She shows up at his mother’s house, and the old woman is upset to discover that he has yet another child he didn’t know about. Her biological father refuses to meet her, leaving Jayla crushed. As an adult, Jayla lives at home with her mother and LaTisha, and she helps take care of Jason, Jantelle, and Jordan. She suffers from an unknown mental illness but refuses to see a psychiatrist. Like LaTisha, Jayla’s story shows how men’s irresponsible decisions and abandonment can have devastating consequences.
Get the entire Girl, Woman, Other LitChart as a printable PDF.
Girl, Woman, Other PDF

Jayla Jones Character Timeline in Girl, Woman, Other

The timeline below shows where the character Jayla Jones appears in Girl, Woman, Other. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2: LaTisha
Diaspora, Culture, and Identity Theme Icon
Home and Community  Theme Icon
Contradiction, Complexity, and Intersectionality  Theme Icon
LaTisha’s parents took her and her sister, Jayla, to museums and aquariums, and on vacations. Her mother, Pauline, explained that these were the... (full context)
Home and Community  Theme Icon
Contradiction, Complexity, and Intersectionality  Theme Icon
...to live, channeling his anger into bodybuilding. When he told these stories to LaTisha and Jayla he was really speaking to LaTisha, his favorite. The Jones family was happy until Glenmore... (full context)
Love, Sexuality, and Race  Theme Icon
Home and Community  Theme Icon
...takes down his photos, and rids the house of anything connected to him. LaTisha and Jayla are banned from talking about him, but his ghost haunts LaTisha. He lives in the... (full context)
Love, Sexuality, and Race  Theme Icon
Home and Community  Theme Icon
After this revelation, Jayla refuses to talk to LaTisha about it. One morning Jayla declares that she wants to... (full context)
Home and Community  Theme Icon
...baby as possible. A week passes, and Pauline comes to pick her up. Back home, Jayla watches Jason when LaTisha is at work all day. (full context)
Home and Community  Theme Icon
Contradiction, Complexity, and Intersectionality  Theme Icon
LaTisha settles back into life now that Pauline and Jayla are there to share the responsibilities of motherhood. A single mother at 18, LaTisha’s dating... (full context)