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"if I can smell all the offerings she done placed on her altar over the years, done used to heal: strings of peppers, potatoes, yams, cattail, spider lily, Spanish needle, sweet bedstraw, and wild okra." (215)

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"if I can smell all the offerings she done placed on her altar over the years, done used to heal: strings of peppers, potatoes, yams, cattail, spider lily, Spanish needle, sweet bedstraw, and wild okra." (215)

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This is from Leonie's perspective as she's describing the various offerings that Mam has put on her altar in the past. This quote gives us an insight into the importance of food to Mam and her family, highlighting its spiritual and cultural significance. This act of placing items like the potatoes, yams, or okra on the altar suggests that there's a deep connection between food and spirituality in their lives. It implies that at least Mam, if not her family, believes that these offerings influence their well-being both physical and spiritually. Understanding the importance of food to Mam, this quote tells us that she is willing to offer something important for the well-being of her family. This attributes to the idea that Mam is selfless and will go to great lengths to ensure the health of her loved ones.

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" 'Kayla's still hungry,' Jojo says. I should leave. I should leave Michael to his family. Take my daughter home and feed her; fill her stomach, quiet her whimpering. But I don't. I can't." (210)

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" 'Kayla's still hungry,' Jojo says. I should leave. I should leave Michael to his family. Take my daughter home and feed her; fill her stomach, quiet her whimpering. But I don't. I can't." (210)

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Kayla is physically hungry in this quote; enough so to tell Jojo, and for him to tell Leonie. Leonie contemplates leaving Michael with his family and going home so she can feed Kayla, but ultimately decides not to. Kayla's hunger during this trip and Leonie's contrasting feelings between going back to feed Kayla or to stay, highlight the lack of care that Kayla receives from her mother and shows us the position Leonie is in. Leonie's contemplative behavior, and ultimate decision to stay, despite Kayla's hunger, gives us a good insight into the emotions she's currently having and the care, or lack thereof, that she has for Kayla.

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"He cuts little slivers of butter and slides them into the steaming inside of the biscuits he mixes and kneads and bakes. The butter melts and oozes out of the sides, and I would give anything to taste bread made with such care" (239).

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"He cuts little slivers of butter and slides them into the steaming inside of the biscuits he mixes and kneads and bakes. The butter melts and oozes out of the sides, and I would give anything to taste bread made with such care" (239).

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The act of preparing food for his granddaughter and grandson highlights the level of nourishment and care that Pop provides. He does not simply prepare some quick food like Micheal did with no care, but puts time and effort into his cooking. He not only makes the biscuits from scratch, but also cuts little slivers of butter and melts them in the biscuits. The biscuit itself represents the basic needs that Jojo and Kayla need like food, and the butter melting and enhancing the flavor of the biscuit represents the nourishment and emotional comfort and care, which is missing from their lives as Leonie and Micheal do not provide it. The level of detail and descriptive language the author uses in the text also emphasizes the care and time that Pop gives to his grandchildren, showing how much he loves them even though he does not usually say so out loud. Richie looks on with envy to this, as he was stripped of both basic needs such as food, and of emotional care and comfort on Parchman, symbolized by the butter. Pop was the only person who provided a "small sliver" of love to Richie, and it hurts Richie to see that this is no longer the case, that he is truly all alone now.

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“Michaela’s on the second sofa in the living room. Michaela breathes openmouthed, huffing crumbs, and a half-eaten cracker falls from her hand to the floor.” (217)

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“Michaela’s on the second sofa in the living room. Michaela breathes openmouthed, huffing crumbs, and a half-eaten cracker falls from her hand to the floor.” (217)

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This quote depicts Kayla sleeping on the sofa in the living room with a cracker in her hand which eventually falls onto the floor. This quote doesn't directly depict a hunger for food or nourishment but rather highlights the hunger Kayla has for a higher level of care. These feelings from Kayla are the reason why Leonie has an emotional hunger for more love and connection, specifically from her children. Both the feelings of Kayla and Leonie come full circle and affect each other, illustrating the longings of multiple characters which can all metaphorically be linked to hunger.

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"I never wanted you to be hungry, Jojo. It's why I tried. I would do it if she wouldn't. But now-... She ain't never going to feed you" (233). 

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"I never wanted you to be hungry, Jojo. It's why I tried. I would do it if she wouldn't. But now-... She ain't never going to feed you" (233). 

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Mam is both talking about both actual “feeding”, and emotional “feeding” in this quote. She is trying to tell Jojo that she tried to raise Jojo in the best way she could, and acknowledges his “hunger”, which is simply his human need for care and love. She tried "feeding him" figuratively by giving him love and care while she was still physically able to satiate his “hunger”, unlike Leonie. Mam had hope for Leonie, that she would turn around and start caring for her kids eventually, and that it was simply temporary that Mam was doing her job. However, as Mam came down with her illness, she realized that Leonie would not change, as seen when Mam stops ’mid-sentence saying “But now”, putting emphasis on this “But’’. She understands that Jojo still has hope for Leonie just like she used to, so she tells Jojo that his current relationship with Leonie will never change, and that Jojo should never rely on his mother by telling him “she ain’t never going to feed you”. Mam needs Jojo to understand this, so he can let go of those feelings and thoughts he keeps having about Leonie changing, and move on when Mam passes away.

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"I am so hungry I can smell it on his breath, smell it in the car when he takes the charcoal and dumps it into the milk, puts the top on, and shakes" (177).

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"I am so hungry I can smell it on his breath, smell it in the car when he takes the charcoal and dumps it into the milk, puts the top on, and shakes" (177).

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While Jojo needs food as sustenance,  Micheal is providing the opposite. He is wasting the resources/food the family has to try to cure Leonie, who took a bag of meth as a result of her plans to sell it with Micheal. The way the milk's "scent" is described to take over Jojo's soundings represents the obvious failure of Leonie and Micheal as parents since they consume food right in front of their starving kids, as well as the acute level of hunger that Jojo is experiencing. This is similar to when Jojo smelled the meth that was being "cooked" while he was searching for food. His acute level of hunger is not only physical but is also brought on by his human need for affection from his parents, and illustrates just how much he wants Leonie and Micheal to care for him, or to even notice him, symbolized by the overwhelming scent of milk. However it is clear that Leonie and Micheal do not care about their children's needs, and only worry about themselves as represented when Micheal drops the charcoal into the milk, ruining any possibility of Michael fulfilling Jojo’s needs. The charcoal ruining the milk further symbolizes the consequences of Micheal and Leonie’s actions, the negative effect they have on their kids, and their inconsiderate nature.

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"When I was lying on my cot at night while River cleaned my wounds, those moments blinked around me like fireflies in the dark. I caught them in my hands and held them to me, a golden handful of light, before swallowing them." (139)

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"When I was lying on my cot at night while River cleaned my wounds, those moments blinked around me like fireflies in the dark. I caught them in my hands and held them to me, a golden handful of light, before swallowing them." (139)

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This quote relates to the "Food/Hunger" motif because it illustrates the lack of nourishment that the prisoners in Parchman endure. This quote highlights the extremity of the undernourishment because it depicts Richie eating the fireflies that in the same excerpt he calls "a golden handful of light". If it wasn't for Richie's starvation, he would not have eaten the fireflies and would have enjoyed their presence instead. This quote provides insight into the terrible conditions in the Parchman prison and the unfortunate nature of Richie's life up until his death.

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"Sometimes, when Jojo's playing with Micheala or sitting in Mama's room rubbing her hands or helping her turn over in the bed, I look at him and see a hungry girl" (95). 

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"Sometimes, when Jojo's playing with Micheala or sitting in Mama's room rubbing her hands or helping her turn over in the bed, I look at him and see a hungry girl" (95). 

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Jojo always tries to act older, or tougher than he is, since he has been forced into this situation and does so for Kayla. At this moment, Leonie reflects that all she sees when Jojo puts on this tough character is a “hungry girl”. The word "girl" shows how truly vulnerable Jojo is, and the term "hunger" is used to represent his need/desire for love, and protection. Parents shower their kids with love and protection when they are young, which is the opposite of what happened to Jojo.  The closest thing he had to a father was his grandfather, who does truly love him, however, he rarely shows his emotions. While his sister also does love him, she is too young to give Jojo any sense of protection, and cannot truly express her love in words to him. Therefore, Leonie sees Jojo as a vulnerable, unprotected, and hungry girl. Ironically, even though Leonie sees this, she does not do anything about it even though Jojo needs love from her the most. It is also important to note that even though Jojo has never been shown many feelings of protection or love in his life, he actively gives these feelings to his family members, as seen in his interactions with Mam and Kayla. This not only demonstrates his selflessness but also exposes his connection to Mam who has also acted selflessly her whole life to support her family.

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"Jojo's birthday cake doesn't keep well: the next day, it tastes five days old instead of one. It tastes like pepper paste, but I keep eating" (37)

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"Jojo's birthday cake doesn't keep well: the next day, it tastes five days old instead of one. It tastes like pepper paste, but I keep eating" (37)

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This quote depicting Leonie eating stale cake goes farther than her physical hunger. This quote represents her disrupted emotional state and her mental instability. Typically, it's odd for someone to continue eating an old cake but Leonie is trying to fill a hole within herself. Leonie is longing for all the things she doesn't posses, like control over herself and the ability to be a better parent. By eating the cake she is trying to forget about the problems she has and is trying to satisfy the "hunger" that she has to become a better person.

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“I let the saltines turn mealy and soggy on my tongue before chewing and swallowing so I don't crunch… When I eat and drink I have never tasted anything so good” (89).

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“I let the saltines turn mealy and soggy on my tongue before chewing and swallowing so I don't crunch… When I eat and drink I have never tasted anything so good” (89).

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Jojo's excitement for the simple saltine crackers and his stealthiness while eating them all point to substantial hunger, and how bad of a mother Leonie truly is. Leonie has not once given Jojo any food or drink during the whole day, which simply displays why Jojo calls her "Leonie", and not "mother" or "mom". Leonie does not act like a mother, she does not care about her son. She has not once thought about what Jojo wants, or how he feels, and even puts him in such a situation where he has to steal food and drinks just to get food, even though Leonie clearly has money to buy him such basic necessities. This foreshadows the relationship between Jojo and Leonie, and how she is unexpected to care for him. While it is represented by something as simple as Jojo's hunger now, it could get worse later on in the story, where a situation in which Leonie simply abandons or forgets about her son altogether is not unfathomable.

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“The potatoes were salty and thick, and the mayonnaise and ketchup spread too thin, so the potatoes stuck in my throat a little bit” (13) 

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“The potatoes were salty and thick, and the mayonnaise and ketchup spread too thin, so the potatoes stuck in my throat a little bit” (13) 

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Jojo is eating a sandwich in the same way Pop eats them and also makes them. This can be interpreted in two ways: Joseph is trying to act (eat) like Pop but cannot pull it off and has trouble replicating Pop’s actions to the same par. Jojo is also “swallowing” the hard truth that he is acting like Pop, and doesn't want to admit it to his mother. This might be foreshadowing how it would be difficult for Jojo to keep trying to be like Pop, and he might need to "find himself" in the book.