P.S. Be Eleven

Delphine overhears Pa telling Big Ma that if Darnell cannot get himself together and get a job, he must leave the house. Big Ma argues that he is too sick to leave and that the war has damaged him. Delphine realizes that if Pa could stop loving Cecile and stop loving Darnell, then it must be true that for Pa, “love wears out” (189). By contrast, Big Ma’s “love is like her hate” because it is passionate and endures no matter what (190). She loves her grandchildren even when she beats them or calls them names.

Delphine realizes one day that boys and girls have begun to socialize with each other instead of being enemies. She feels left out because she does not receive attention from the boys, unlike the girls who were once her close friends. A more general social gap widens when those same friends brag about getting seats together at the upcoming Jackson Five concert. They tease Delphine about not having bought her ticket when the concert is only weeks away.

In Mr. Mwile’s class, Delphine’s group decides to make their presentation a boy-versus-girl debate on whether women are suited to be president.