The Flow of Life and Love. Life and love are some of the most powerful forces on the planet. Jesmyn Ward explores the significance of life and love throughout her novel, Sing, Unburied, Sing, as it relates to family and culture. The novel depicts a working-class African American family as they journey from their hometown of Bois Sauvage, Mississippi to Parchman Prison to retrieve Michael, the father of Jojo, one of the narrators. 13-year-old Jojo, Jojo’s 3-year-old little sister Kayla, Jojo’s mother Leonie, and Leonie’s friend Misty are the characters who travel to Parchman to retrieve Michael. Other important characters are Jojo’s grandparents, Mam and Pop, and Richie, the ghost of a young boy Pop had become friends with during his time at…show more content… Through Ward’s recurring pattern of water-themed imagery, she is able to demonstrate the path of life and love as it is given or received throughout the novel. With Leonie being a neglectful parent, it is left up to others to supply him with the life and love he needs. Multiple times throughout the novel, Jojo is described as being extremely hungry or thirsty, and is denied any sustenance. His mother is not providing for him and it is impacting his health. The goddess Oya, a significant figure in the family’s culture, brings down rain for Jojo to drink. When Jojo is standing outside, “thunder booms, a great clacking split, and the sky dumps water.[he] remember[s] just in time and tilt[s] [his] head back, hold[s] [his] breath, and let[s] rain trickle down [his] throat” (65). Life, in the form of water, is given to Jojo by the goddess Oya when Leonie does not provide a drink for him. Oya’s care for Jojo also demonstrates her love for the boy, love that his mother also does not adequately provide for him. A similar situation happens later on in the story. Jojo is finally able to get some food from Michael’s lawyer, but again, does not have water.
