Lives of Girls and Women

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains references to murder, death by suicide and suicidal ideation, and sexual abuse, including sexual interactions between an adult and a young teenager. The source text also includes outdated and offensive language surrounding race and mental health conditions that are reproduced only via quotations.

The Flats Road is a recurring motif and setting throughout the stories in the collection. According to Del, the Flats Road exists between two worlds: “The Flats Road was not part of town but it was not part of the country either” (9). By not having a defined place among the area’s social structure, the landscape allows Del to engage in The Discovery of Identity Through Exploration. As a child, she has the opportunity to explore the natural world, which coexists with the Flats Road. Del’s viewpoint that her environment does not have any social confines allows her to exist relatively freely, positioning the Flats Road as a symbol of possibility. Once she gets older and moves to Jubilee, the Flats Road becomes a place to reflect on her childhood. However, toward the end of the book, Del begins to visit her house on the Flats Road and spends her time cleaning rather than exploring the land.