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Chapter 42. The Before
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
One day, as Daddy pulls into Ed Borough to drop Monday at home, they see a group of protesters protesting Ed Borough’s closure. Daddy pulls up to a man handing out flyers and the man explains that the “city passed the legislation.” Monday points to April, standing with Tuesday and August.
“The legislation” is, presumably, the legislation that’s allowing the city to close Ed Borough. Seeing April at the protest drives home that this legislation will affect the Charles family, so it’s something they need to publicly oppose.
Themes
Monday and Claudia jump out of the car to join April. April tells the girls that white people are trying to buy Ed Borough, and they can’t do anything to stop it. Monday goes pale and asks if they’re going to have to leave. April bends down and tells Monday it’ll be okay. Claudia is jealous—she should be comforting Monday instead of April. She offers to let Monday come live at her house, but April snaps that they don’t need help. Monday lets go of Claudia’s hand and suggests she go home. Claudia is shocked; she didn’t think she and Monday had any secrets.
To Monday, the threat of losing their home is terrifying. To Claudia, though, this is just an opportunity to get Monday to come stay with her forever. She thinks this arrangement would be great—so it’s perplexing when Monday doesn’t agree. This shows Claudia that she doesn’t understand what her friend is going through.
Themes
April tells Monday she always takes care of it and glances over to a group of boys near the courts. She tells Monday to take Tuesday back to the house, but Monday looks to the boys and says, “don’t.” Claudia is confused. She sees something pass between April and Monday, but she thinks that’s impossible. She and Monday are the only two who have a bond like that. April says the kids’ uniforms cost a lot, so she’ll be home soon. Watching April leave, Claudia asks where she’s going. Monday sighs and starts to push Tuesday’s stroller home.
Here, the novel implies that April is engaging in sex work to support the family. This may explain why April has a reputation for promiscuity—but it also reveals that all the people who taunt April for her reputation don’t understand that she may be acting out of necessity. Claudia is privileged and naïve enough that she doesn’t understand what’s going on here, but Monday clearly knows April is engaging in sex work.
Themes
