“‘Silver’ is what I called girls who were natural beauties but who also smoothed on a layer of pretty from a jar. It wasn’t just how they looked, it was how they were.”
The story begins with Dana as the narrator charting her life as the ‘other’ daughter to a bigamist father. Therefore she expresses her frustration with their strained father-daughter relationship and his absence in her life. Through Dana’s narration, the reader might assume that her story is much more tragic than that of his father’s first daughter, Chaurisse. However, Chaurisse is fighting her own battle with insecurities and identity even though her relationship with his father is loving. Although Dana is jealous of Chaurisse, Chaurisse is also jealous of her but for different reasons. She is envious of Dana’s natural beauty and popularity which she feels she lacks. Accordingly, she gets close to her because of her demeanor, looks, and status in the social hierarchy.
“He's your father, but first he is a man. A man is just a man, and that's all we have to work with.”
Jones explores the complicated dynamic that exists in bigamous marriages where the families have to grapple with sharing a spouse and parent. Dana and her mother Gwendolyn will forever be the ‘other’ family to James; hence, his love and care will always be felt less in the household. Thus, the assertion expresses that as much as James has to take responsibility he is still a mere mortal man with shortcomings he cannot reconcile. In that even if he was willing to offer the same love and attention to both families, that task is near to impossible as it is beyond him. Gwendolyn is not offering absolution for his selfish choices but rather acknowledging what is done is done and they have to make the best of it.
“Abandonment doesn't have the sharp but dissipating sting of a slap. It's like a punch to the gut, bruising your skin and driving the precious air from your body.”
The statement emphasizes the impact of living as the second family to a bigamist where attention, love, and resources are shared knowingly or unknowingly. Gwendolyn and Dana feel like shadows in James’ life and his absence is felt; therefore, a sense of abandonment overwhelms them. James is leading a double life which he has to keep a secret while ensuring that his other family does not expose him accidentally or intentionally. Meanwhile, the first family lives in the lies and deceit and a revelation of the truth threatens the stability of the household. However, for the hidden family, they already feel the sense of betrayal from the onset.
