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Chapter 3. The After
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Monday’s Not Coming, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Child Abuse
Family, Community, and Responsibility
Growing Up, Independence, and Friendship
Secrecy and Shame
Poverty, Social Support, and Desperation
Memory, Repression, and Trauma
Summary
Analysis
As the girls walk home from school, Monday pulls a pilled scarf tighter and shivers in a jean jacket that Claudia gave her. She whines that it’s cold and dark, but Claudia asks if Monday is listening—the pastor wants Claudia to read the scripture on Sunday. Monday shrugs and suggests that Claudia pretend to be sick, but Claudia can’t. She also has a performance that day with her dance ministry. With a smirk, Monday teases Claudia and says that she could join dance ministry too, skipping ahead and spinning.
Monday’s scarf is pilled, and she wears a jacket from Claudia—suggesting that Monday might not have access to new, warm clothes on her own. Claudia, though, doesn’t seem to take note of this or consider the possible significance of Monday’s threadbare clothing. Claudia’s fears about reading in church suggest that her issues with writing extend to reading as well.
Themes
Claudia laughs, but Monday suggests they add the move to their dance routine later. Then, the girls stop at Mr. Chang’s carryout for a snack. As they wait in line, they discuss how Claudia can get out of reading in church and embarrassing herself. Monday insists that Claudia has to stop going to church altogether. Claudia knows she’s right, but Ma will kill her. Monday tells Claudia to lie about why she wants to quit, but Monday regularly lies “in a self-preservation type of way.” When Claudia insists that Ma will be angry, Monday insists that Ma doesn’t get that mad.
It seems likely that Monday and Claudia have very different ideas of what’s normal at home. Claudia seems genuinely concerned about facing Ma’s wrath—but Monday saying that Ma doesn’t get too mad suggests that however Ma acts, it’s not as frightening as how Mrs. Charles acts. The aside that Monday lies “in a self-preservation type of way” raises the question of why Monday would have to lie regularly to protect herself. Claudia’s lack of concern reflects her naiveté; Monday’s lies might just be normal to her.
Themes
Monday places their order. Claudia isn’t shy, but Monday is better at talking to strangers. Sometimes Claudia hates it—she doesn’t like sharing Monday. Monday realizes she forgot her wallet and asks Claudia to cover the bill. A group of boys enters the restaurant. The girls recoil and, in their secret language, Claudia says she’s fine—and Monday notes that one of the boys is cute. The boys stare at Monday and Claudia and ask if they’re twins. Usually the girls love that question, but not tonight.
Claudia and Monday have definite roles in their relationship: Monday talks to strangers (suggesting that she’s the more outgoing one), while Claudia funds their snack purchases (suggesting that she has more money). The aside that Claudia doesn’t like sharing Monday speaks to how important their relationship is to her—Claudia feels threatened when there’s any chance that another person might interfere in their dynamic.
Themes
As Monday leads Claudia out of the restaurant, one of the boys blocks the door. The girls link arms, dodge to the left, and make it out. After two blocks, Monday sighs that the boy was cute. Claudia tells readers that over the last year, boys have suddenly become real—now they talk about having crushes on neighbors and classmates instead of celebrities. Claudia brushes off Monday’s teasing as they skip into the library to say hi to Ms. Paul. Ms. Paul used to watch Claudia every day after school at the library until Ma got off work. These days, Claudia and Monday can go home as long as they check in with Ms. Paul first—“Breadcrumbs” are important to Ma.
While the novel frames this boy’s actions as somewhat predatory, Monday nevertheless seems somewhat smitten with him, raising the question if she has unhealthy expectations surrounding romantic relationships and intimacy. And the aside again that Ma requires Claudia to leave “breadcrumbs” suggests that Claudia has the kind of support network where it would be impossible for her to go missing, as Monday is in the “Before” timeline.
Themes
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Claudia and Monday eat in Claudia’s room and when they’re done, Monday grabs a Barbie and a Ken doll. She asks if the boys were interested in them and makes Barbie and Ken kiss. Then, the girls plug in an iPod and start their rehearsal. This is how they spend most afternoons, making up routines to their favorite songs. Monday is an exceptional dancer, but Mrs. Charles can’t afford to send her to classes. Instead, Claudia teaches her what she learns in her dance classes—and Monday does them better. This is the girls’ world, with their own language. It’s a bubble that nothing can pop.
The aside that Mrs. Charles can’t afford to enroll Monday in dance classes is another indicator that the family is struggling financially. But Claudia doesn’t seem to question why the family is struggling or how that may affect Monday’s home life—to Claudia, Monday’s poverty is just a fact of life. This suggests that while she may be superficially aware that she and Monday come from very different economic backgrounds, she might not realize that’s something that can affect their relationship or Monday’s home life.
Themes
Monday turns down the music and suggests they go to cheerleading tryouts—Ms. Valente already talked to Shayla and Ashley about it. Claudia wonders why Monday talked to Ms. Valente alone, and reminds Monday that the plan was to try out for the dance team when they got to high school. Monday insists they can do both, but Claudia refuses—they have enough problems with Shayla and Ashley as it is. She also knows that once the other girls see how Monday can dance, they’ll steal her. But she keeps this quiet and says they need to concentrate on their routines, since America’s Dance Challenge is going to hold auditions in D.C. soon. Monday perks up, agrees, and suggests they get started on homework—she has a whole packet to read to Claudia.
Earlier, Claudia noted that she becomes very jealous when Monday talks to other people. Here, she articulates even more clearly why this is: she’s afraid that Monday would find new friends—and replace Claudia—if she spent more time with other people. Claudia can’t allow this happen for several reasons. She needs Monday to endure Shayla and Ashley’s bullying, she needs the emotional support that Monday supplies, and she also seems to need Monday to help her with her homework (given that Monday is going to read her a homework packet). Monday seems to accept that Claudia decides what they do, suggesting a power imbalance in their relationship.
Themes
People in Southeast talk about crack regularly. In the 80s and 90s, D.C. turned into a “city of zombies,” leading to murder and destruction. Eventually people rebuilt the community, but the memories remain. Back in the present, Claudia, Monday, and their families are at the annual Ed Borough Recreation Center block party. Mrs. Charles plays cards and Ma sells her pies. Monday and Claudia play with August. This block party, Claudia thinks, is proof that Southeast is just like everywhere else—people here love good food, music, and friends.
Offering some of the city’s history with the crack epidemic suggests that Claudia’s neighborhood is still struggling with the epidemic’s legacy. The neighborhood may, in some ways, still seem dangerous like it was back then. But Claudia also encourages readers to see that the people who live here are people, just like anywhere else, and are thus deserving of respect and kindness.
Themes
But the Ed Borough projects, built after World War II on land formerly given to freed slaves, are in trouble. The projects were intended as “a place for the American dream,” but eventually, developers realized how valuable the land was. It was “convenient” that crack would take over the area.
Saying it was “convenient” that crack took over Ed Borough suggests that the white developers didn’t see crack as a problem to solve for the sake of the complex’s residents. Rather, it was an easy way to justify displacing Ed Borough’s residents to take the land for themselves.
Themes
As Claudia and Monday dance, a bee buzzes Claudia’s ear. The girls buzz at each other until Ma calls for them to come get pie. Mrs. Charles jogs over too and offers to take pie to some men, insisting that the girls don’t need sugar. Monday reaches for a piece of pie and Mrs. Charles slaps her hand away. Mrs. Charles growls that Monday never listens and is greedy. Ma’s brow furrows as Monday backs up and links pinkies with Claudia, tears in her eyes. In their secret language, Claudia asks if Monday is okay. Monday nods.
At first, Mrs. Charles’s concerns about the girls’ sugar intake seems reasonable for a mom. But when she slaps Monday and berates her, things seem decidedly more sinister. This is especially true given how afraid Monday seems of Mrs. Charles—she may perceive some real danger here.
Themes
