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Chapter 6. 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
In her journal, Claudia writes another note to Monday with many misspellings. She writes that Ms. Manis moved her into Group Five for jazz, which means she’s in class with the high school girls. The other girls in class are on traveling dance teams. To celebrate, Ma and Daddy took Claudia to Chili’s. Claudia wishes Monday were here, too.
The copious misspellings and stilted language in the journal entry once again reveal that Claudia has trouble writing. Claudia’s note that she’s now in dance classes with high school girls suggests that she sees them as fundamentally different from her—and perhaps, therefore not as possible friends.
Themes
As Claudia stretches, the other girls in her dance class wonder out loud how Claudia ended up in the class, given that she’s “like, twelve.” A girl with a high bun insists that Claudia is older than that and a great dancer. Claudia tries to focus on stretching. Another girl starts to say why Claudia should be in class with little kids, but the girl with the bun cuts her off—Ms. Manis said to leave Claudia alone. The first girl grumbles that Claudia had better not make them look stupid at their recital.
Once again, Claudia finds herself surrounded by girls who seem intent on making her life miserable. The way they talk about Claudia suggests they might know something that readers don’t—for instance, the supposed reason she should be in a little kids’ dance class. But this is intentionally left unclear for the reader, as Claudia doesn’t know what’s going on either and is intent on ignoring their rude remarks.
Themes
Claudia feels her confidence slipping. Maybe she doesn’t belong in Group Five, and she’s not sure she can take another class of girls hating her. As the other girls discuss what song Ms. Manis will give Claudia for her solo, Claudia tells herself she can go the whole season without talking to the other girls. She’s not good at making new friends and always had Monday. But now, Claudia feels Monday’s absence everywhere. She wonders what Monday would do.
Because Claudia has never had to make friends before thanks to Monday’s constant presence, she doesn’t have the skills to start making friends now. For now, at least, it seems preferable to be alone, with just Monday’s memory for company, than it does to try to start making friends.
Themes
Ms. Manis arrives and calls the class to attention. Claudia follows carefully from the back and ignores the other girls watching her. At the end of class Ms. Manis starts to teach the girls the first parts of the routine they’ll perform at their June recital. The recital is a big deal—even the mayor and senators come to see the only all-Black dance school in D.C. In addition to the Group Five routine, each girl will perform a solo. This will be Claudia’s first solo. As each girl takes turns with the new routine, Claudia watches. When it’s her turn, she shows off with an extra twirl. Her classmates stare, and she overhears High Bun telling another girl that Claudia’s good.
Ms. Manis put Claudia in the Group Five class, which suggests that she believes in Claudia’s abilities and considers the class a suitable match for her. And Claudia shows here that she does have the skills foundation to be in this upper level class. It’s unclear, then, why the other girls are underestimating her so much. But when Claudia is able to show them that she belongs, she starts to develop some confidence in herself—without Monday’s help.
Themes
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