Ruby

“Ruby Bell was a constant reminder of what could befall a woman whose shoe heels were too high. The people of Liberty Township wove her into cautionary tales of the wages of sin and travel.”

The first sentence of Ruby makes it plain that the residents of Liberty blame Ruby for her deteriorated mental state. The word “sin” hints at the religious connotations to their condemnation. By making her a cautionary tale, they ensure that generational abuse can continue unchecked.

“The call of crows and the purring of doves. The screams of a Black man. The slowing of a heart. All captured, hushed and held under the colossal fur of pine and oak, magnolia, hickory and sweet gum.”

Bond anthropomorphizes the landscape of Ruby with a sense of memory. The trees in the woods hold memories of lynching and KKK rituals, symbolizing how the racist past of the South continues to influence the present.

“Girl, you got to fly off next time they take you down there. Don’t hold fort in your body, surrender it so you can come back when they done.”

This advice, delivered by Ma Tante, is meant to help Ruby survive her assaults. Ma Tante doesn’t feel capable of standing up to the power of the town, so this is the only way she can help Ruby. By teaching a young Ruby to dissociate, however, Ma Tante sows the seeds for a dysfunctional coping mechanism that will follow her into adulthood.