What is the impact of having the point of view switch between Leonie and Jojo in the novel Sing, Unburied, Sing?

        In Jesmyn Ward’s novel Sing, Unburied, Sing, she tells the tale of a multiracial family and their experience living in the rural parts of Mississippi. One of the most obvious elements of the book is the switching of narrators throughout the story. The readers see the point of view of three different characters throughout the novel: Jojo, Leonie, and Richie. The question is, to what extent is this changing point of view designed to inspire an empathetic response, specifically regarding Leonie and her actions toward Jojo?

    Ward had specific intentions when deciding to write the novel Sing, Unburied, Sing in three different viewpoints. For example, the characters in the book would be portrayed much differently to the audience if the story was told from only Jojo’s point of view. In the very first chapter narrated by Jojo, his views toward Leonie are made explicitly clear. Jojo describes his life before Leonie started using drugs, and the readers get a clear image of young Jojo and a mother who loves and cares about him deeply. He quickly contrasts this quaint image with an extremely depressing one. Jojo states, “Before she started snorting crushed pills,” and “Before all the little mean things she told me gathered and gathered and lodged like grit in a skinned knee” (Ward 7). Jojo explains that he does not even call Leonie “Mama” anymore, showing how isolated and cold he has become towards her (Ward 7). This image of Leonie is all the readers see before being placed in her point of view, and it is quite a poor-looking one at that. Therefore, when Ward switches the point of view to Leonie, the readers see that it is not mere cruelty that drives Leonie’s actions. Leonie tells the story of how she ended up pregnant with a white man’s son, and the incredibly racist and traumatic life she lived through thus far. This is not to say that Leonie is by any means a great mother and should be seen as the victim, but more so that understanding the reasons behind her actions helps to interpret her character better. One example that shows why Leonie tends to be so cruel to Jojo is when she makes fun of his stomach rolls. In chapter seven Leonie states how it feels good to be mean to Jojo, the child she is never good enough or “Mama” enough for (Ward 147). She describes herself as “just Leonie, a name wrapped around the same disappointed syllables I’ve heard from Mama, from Pop, even from Given, my whole fucking life” (Ward 147). This quote is specifically written by Ward to make the audience feel sympathy for her. The author intends to show here that Leonie feels like she disappoints everyone in her life, and regardless of if it is truly her fault, many readers will relate to that same feeling and empathize with her.

    These examples, while they are not meant to be construed as justifying Leonie’s actions, show the importance of her having a role in narration. Ward wrote Leonie’s perspective to show the audience the struggles between addiction and caring for loved ones. Yet, it is clear that she also wrote it to reach a specific audience of readers who have perhaps felt the same feelings of insignificance, and intended to portray a character who has had a multitude of emotional turmoil in her life.