Adversaries:2 Themes The Mee Street Chronicles

The story, "Adversaries" written by Frankie Lennon, is a story about a relationship between a young girl who is the narrator and her aunt. In the story, the narrator's aunt is babysitting her because her parents are out of town for a meeting. During her stay with her aunt, the girl always finds herself getting scolded for doing everything and anything wrong. The title "Adversaries" which means opponents or enemies relates much to the story because the narrator ponders what it was between her and her aunt that made them adversaries. After all it was obvious, she didn't like her auntand her aunt didn't show any likeness towards her either. Through out the story, she talks about their relationship and how she wishes her grandma was still alive to take care of her at times her parents were out of town.



One of the themes of the story was facing death. As the narrator is collecting switches in the backyard as a punishment by her aunt, the narrator reminisces about her grandma. The memory of her grandma's funeral comes back and wishes she was still alive so that she didn't have to get stuck with her mean aunt. Remembering every part of the funeral day her thoughts, on page 29, last paragraph, "It hurt to remember. Hurt badder than when I scraped both my knees bloody. Badder than when somebody stole Silky my cocker spaniel. I didn't want to feel any more hurt in my chest so I pushed the picture memories back into the shut away place, locked it and made myself think of magic spells. If I could make the right one, I would swoosh my magic wand and made Grandmamma come back right now, and auntie disappear. It was then that I suddenly remembered Evelyn telling me that she had overheard her mother saying that my grandmamma had passed away...............The thought pierced my heard deep in its core". This shows how painful the narrator feels as she tries very hard to lock the memories of her grandmamma deep down inside.



Another theme is religion. The narrator mentions how her aunt considers playing games such as marbles and Jacks as "sinful idleness" and a waste of time. That is the reasons why her aunt never liked or allowed her to play any games in the house. The narrator also mentions of her aunt speaking aloud to God. For instance, whenever the narrator got yelled at by her aunt, she spoke of sins and screamed out to the Lord saying things like, "Lord!Lord! I be speakin yo truth! Lord have mercy!" It scared the narrator hearing it. Her aunt also uses the Lord to threaten the narrator by saying, "You better pray to the Lord yo Mama don't leave this world cause if she do, you ain't gon have no body to take care of ya." It shows how religion plays a big part in her aunt's life and how much she worships God.



Religion and facing death were the main themes I found that relates to the story, "Adversaries." The story talks about the narrators relationship with her aunt leaving her to question what it was that made them rivals. She also talks about how she wishes her grandma was still alive and reminisces feelings of the painful day of the funeral. Her aunt in the other hand preaches out to the Lord in difficult times and lets her anger out to him.