Many of the novel's female characters drink wine and in most cases, their drink of choice can be read as an indicator of their whiteness or an attempt to be more "white." Kennedy notes that Ava has had a glass of white wine every night for as long as she can remember; the wine is a part of Ava and contributes to her image as a well-to-do white woman. Ruth, on the other hand, often drinks wine with other white women, like Corinne, as a means of building community and trying to fit in in her white, mostly assimilated world. Though Ruth often seems to enjoy her wine, there are times when her reaction to her drink betrays her discomfort in the mostly white world she inhabits. In particular, the wine she drinks the night that Davis dies—which was a gift from Marie—is sour and unpleasant, and is something she has to choke down to convince herself that things will continue to be normal.
Wine Symbol Timeline in Small Great Things
