Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Gorilla, My Love, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Trust, Solidarity, and Betrayal
Family
Childhood and Adulthood
Names and Identity
Summary
Analysis
Hazel’s uncle decides to change his name back to Jefferson Winston Vale, the given name he used before Hazel was born and gave him the nickname “Hunca Bubba.” The name Jefferson Winston Vale seems “very geographical weatherlike” to Hazel, like a phrase that she might see on the map she is using to help her Granddaddy navigate during their drive. She is sitting in the front seat because sitting in the back with the pecans—which are shifting around like rats—makes her feel uncomfortable. Granddaddy calls her “Scout” as he asks for directions, and Hazel is quick to point out to the reader that “Scout” is not her real name.
Hazel’s irritation at her uncle’s name change stems from his rejection of the nickname she gave him when she was very young. To her, it seems to signify a shift in their relationship and a potential weakening of family loyalty. Her irrational fear of the moving pecans, which remind her of rats, establishes her childlike perspective of the world. As a child, Hazel is subject to the power of the adults around her, and asserting her “real” name to the reader is an opportunity to exercise control over her identity.
Themes
Hunca Bubba sits in the back of the vehicle with Hazel’s little brother, Baby Jason. He talks excitedly about the woman he is going to marry, a conversation that Hazel finds boring and annoying. He shows the children a picture of his future wife, and Hazel is unimpressed by the woman in her “countrified dress.” However, she is intrigued by the movie theater in the background of the picture, since she loves movies.
Hazel’s disdain for Hunca Bubba’s future wife is revealed in her description of the “countrified dress,” which is presumably inferior to styles Hazel sees in her urban surroundings. She is not excited at the prospect of incorporating this woman into her close-knit family, and regards her as an outsider. Her opinion of the photo further establishes her childish perspective—she is bored by romance due to her age and much more fascinated by the movie theater in the background.
Themes
The photograph reminds Hazel of the time she went to the Washington theater to see the movie Gorilla, My Love with her brothers, Baby Jason and Big Brood, because they were alone last Easter. She remembers buying bags of Havmore potato chips, which are Hazel’s favorite because they have the best bags for blowing up and “bustin real loud” to annoy the theater matrons. Hazel loves causing a commotion with her brothers egging her on. She is always the one to do “fiercesome” things for the three of them, like hide their money from bullies or physically fight children who try to take Big Brood’s ball at the park.
The fact that Hazel, Big Brood, and Baby Jason were alone during Easter suggests that her older family members were working during the holiday—one of many hints peppered throughout the story that they are members of the working class. The movie theater reminds Hazel of time she spent with her brothers and emphasizes the importance her siblings and family play in her everyday life. Her memory of the potato chip bags establishes both her immature love of causing trouble and her close bond with her brothers, who like to encourage her when she makes a scene—another version of family solidarity. She feels fiercely protective of her brothers and is willing to fight others on their behalf.
Themes
When the movie starts, Hazel realizes that the theater is playing King of Kings, a religious film about Jesus’s life and ministry, rather than the advertised Gorilla, My Love. She is “ready to kill,” not because she dislikes Jesus, but because the theater staff members’ dishonesty—promising one movie but playing another—infuriates her. She views this as a sign that adults “feel like they can treat [kids] just anyhow.”
The theater’s decision to play King of Kings on Easter rather than Gorilla, My Love highlights betrayal in two ways. The film itself portrays the life of Jesus, so readers can reasonably assume that the film would include Judas’s betrayal of Jesus. The showing of King of Kings is also a form of betrayal—at least in Hazel’s eyes—because the adults running the theater are saying one thing and doing another. Hazel’s fixation on this dishonesty reveals that although she is a child, she is has a keen sense of justice and understands the unfair power dynamic between children and adults.
Themes
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Hazel and the other children in the theater start yelling in protest. At first they think the man in the reel booth played the wrong film by mistake, but he just turns the volume up and yells at them to “shut up.” The matron tries to quiet them by roping off the children’s section of the theater, but the kids just continue to yell and start racing around the theater aisles. They only quiet down when Thunderbuns—“the big and bad” “colored matron” who “do not play”—arrives, looking like she is about to hit someone with her flashlight.
Hazel and the rest of the kids in the audience do not take the theater’s deception lightly. They know they do not have much power in the face of the adults who run the theater, so they try to make their voices heard the only way that is available to them—by causing chaos. They get so wild only Thunderbuns, the “colored matron” who they fear and respect, can restore order. Thunderbuns is the only adult outside of the family that Hazel respects—likely because Thunderbuns, with her confidence and combative attitude, is a lot like Hazel herself.
Themes
Hazel and the other children quiet down and watch “the simple ass picture.” Hazel scoffs at the storyline, thinking, “just about anybody in my family is better than this god they always talking about.” She imagines what her own family would do if Big Brood were the one up on the cross. She pictures her Mama and Daddy scolding him before jumping into action, with Daddy calling for a ladder while Mama and Aunt Daisy hit the Romans with their pocketbooks and Hunca Bubba tells onlookers to get out of the way and get help. She imagines her Granddaddy telling them to leave Big Brood alone, angering the rest of the family and causing a fight. Despite the chaos, Big Brood ends up down from the cross and playing with his friends in the park as the family continues to argue.
Hazel’s fantasy about her family saving Big Brood shows that they form an important part of her support network. She believes each of her family members will help each other in times of need, even if it leads to arguments among themselves. However, Granddaddy is portrayed as more of a nuisance in this scenario, foreshadowing when he also says the wrong thing to Hazel at the end of the story. The juxtaposition of her family members’ personalities with the religious narrative suggests that she places her faith in her family’s loyalty rather than in religion, which gives her a sense of confidence when she confronts adversity.
Themes
Hazel starts yelling, “We want our money back,” and the other children quickly join in. When the credits roll and it becomes clear they have been swindled, she goes to see the manager, “who is a crook in the first place for lyin out there sayin Gorilla, My Love playin,” though Big Brood suddenly ducks out to go to the bathroom. She knocks on the door of the “pasty” manager’s office and is infuriated by his condescending tone, “like he disgusted when he get to the door and see only a little kid there.” Hazel knows she is the smartest student in her class—she believes even the teachers who don’t like her would agree. She has conflicts with several of them because she won’t sing “them Southern songs” and because Mama confronts them if they are racist to their students.
Hazel has no qualms about expressing her fury at the manager’s betrayal, showcasing her sense of justice and willingness to take matters into her own hands. When she gets to the manager’s office and sees his reaction to her presence, she is even more enraged—not only has he cheated her out of her money, he is now treating her with condescension and disdain because she is a child. The story implies that there is possibly an element of racism at play as well, since the manager is white (she describes him as “pasty”) and Hazel is black, and she conflates this experience with that of her mother standing up to the racist teachers at school. Despite being treated so poorly, Hazel’s self-confidence doesn’t waver—she knows she’s smart and thus worthy of listening to and respecting. Her comment about school reveals that she gets into trouble not because she can’t keep up intellectually but because she refuses to participate in activities that promote racist Southern ideology.
Themes
Hazel walks into the manager’s office, sits down, and demands a refund for herself and her brothers. He tries to get her to leave, even though she is sitting, “which shows him for the fool he is.” Hazel thinks about how her teachers behave similarly whenever Mama goes in to confront them for their inappropriate behavior, and how they quickly realize she is “like a stone on that spot and ain’t backin up.” However, the manager still refuses to give Hazel a refund. Grabbing the matches from his ashtray, Hazel leaves and sets fire to the candy stand on her way out. The theater has to close for a week.
Hazel confronts the manager by channeling her Mama, who always stands her ground when facing Hazel’s teachers and fighting injustice. Her imitation of her mother’s behavior shows how deeply she has internalized the values her family raised her with. Her decision to set fire to the concession stand is extreme but consistent with her perspective of right and wrong and her striving for justice. Bambara’s decision to have Hazel retaliate this way may also connect to the author’s activity in the Black Power movement of the 1970s, which called for taking more radical steps towards racial justice than the peaceful protests of the 1960s Civil Rights era.
Themes
Hazel’s parents find out about the fire—she suspects Big Brood is the culprit because of his “big mouth.” Before they can discipline her, Hazel argues that she was just behaving based on the values they instilled in her—namely, the importance of keeping one’s word, because “if you say Gorilla, My Love, you suppose[d] to mean it.” Her argument persuades Daddy to “put his belt back on.”
Hazel suspects Big Brood of telling her parents about the fire—and implies that he’s perhaps ratted her out in the past, given her instance that he has a “big mouth”—which complicates her belief in family solidarity. However, Daddy’s decision to not punish Hazel for the fire reinforces her sense of security. In putting his belt back on, Daddy shows that he is willing to listen to his daughter when she argues her perspective and acts on the honesty and integrity he helped instill in her.
Themes
Hazel reveals that her family members frequently listen to her when she argues her point of view. Mama always says “Okay, Badbird,” when she concedes to her daughter, which, as Hazel points out to the reader, is not her name. Her Aunt Jo calls her “Miss Muffin,” another nickname, when trying to concede during their arguments. Hazel also believes that “Hunca Bubba [has] gone back on his word” by changing his name, but her family does not see her point of view.
When Hazel’s family members yield to her during arguments, they use cutesy nicknames like “Badbird” and “Miss Muffin” to signify that she has been heard and should try to calm down and lighten up. Hazel’s decision to point out to the reader that these are not her real names shows that she is somewhat uncomfortable when adults don’t use her given name—it represents an attempt to influence her behavior and override her own feelings. Their lack of support when she claims Hunca Bubba has broken a promise by changing his name represents a turning point in the story, as she begins to feel as though she can no longer rely on their loyalty in the face of a crisis.
Themes
Back in the navigator seat, Hazel decides to confront Hunca Bubba about his decision. She feels confident about doing so because her Mama taught her to speak her mind “and let the chips fall where they may,” something Daddy also voiced support for in the past.
Hazel’s decision to confront Hunca Bubba is informed by the sense of security and empowerment her family’s value system has instilled in her. At the same time, her anger stems from the fact that her uncle, who used to represent this same security, seems ready to distance himself from her by changing his name and bringing a stranger into the family fold. Even worse, no one else in her family seems to understand her anger or perceive this injustice. Her faith in the adults who have supported her throughout her life clashes with her growing awareness of adults’ willingness to betray or lie to children.
Themes
Hazel asks Hunca Bubba if he plans on marrying the woman in the photograph. When he says yes, she asks him if he remembers the time he had to babysit her when she was little because her parents got held up by a storm. He says yes again and mentions how cute she was. Granddaddy asks her for directions and calls her “Scout,” but she ignores him. Hazel then asks Hunca Bubba if he remembers what he said to her that day. “Whatcha mean, Peaches?” he asks. Firmly reminding him that her name is Hazel, not Peaches, Hazel informs her uncle that he promised to marry her when she grew up. She is upset and raises her voice.
Hazel makes it clear that she is angry, but Hunca Bubba and Granddaddy continue to use childish nicknames that make her feel ignored and her feelings minimized. Granddaddy’s use of “Scout” implies that whatever she is saying is not as important as giving directions, and Hunca Bubba’s “Peaches” reinforces the idea that she is a child and therefore worthy of dismissal. “Peaches” is the last straw, and Hazel asserts her real name out loud for the first time in the story as a way of taking control of the conversation and demanding to be treated with respect. Although she doesn’t realize that she can’t marry her uncle and why that would be wrong, she understands enough to know when adults are treating her with condescension.
Themes
Hunca Bubba is confused about why Hazel is so upset. He protests that she is “just a little girl” and that he was just joking around when he promised to marry her. Granddaddy tries to convince her that Hunca Bubba was a different person when he made this promise, and now he is a new man named Jefferson Winston Vale. Her uncle affirms this, and Hazel calls him “a lyin dawg.” She begins to cry so hard she can no longer see the map. Baby Jason begins to cry when he sees his older sister cry. Hazel thinks about how she and her brother “must stick together or be forever lost” in the midst of adults’ treachery.
Rather than apologizing, Hunca Bubba reminds Hazel that she is a child and explains that he was teasing her. This is doubly offensive for Hazel, as Hunca Bubba’s comment about “teasin” suggests that his words hold no weight (going against the grain of Hazel’s unflinching belief that one must stay true to their word at all costs), while his comment that Hazel is “just a little girl” belittles her and affirms the power disparity between adults and children that she so despises. Even though this whole argument—which dissolves into tears—reminds readers that Hazel really is a child still, Bambara emphasizes that Hazel’s anger at being vulnerable to adults’ whims is legitimate and something to be sensitive to.
Themes
