Themes and message
The short story “Waiting for Her” by Amina Henry explores themes like the impact parents have on children and teenage transformation. These themes are enhanced by the motif of feeling trapped and isolated conveyed through the repetition of the word “marooned” (l. 211). The word describes the abandonment Victory feels while growing up without her parents.
The message of the story is that children are always affected by the actions and absences of their parents. Victory was born addicted to heroin, she feels abandoned and, as a consequence, ends up taking drugs, stealing, and having sex before she is…
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The impact parents have on children
This theme is explored through the main character, Victory, through her attitude towards her mother and grandmother, and by showing readers some of the consequences of growing up without parents.
This theme is hinted at from the beginning of the story. We find out the narrator feels pressured by the name her mother choose for her, along with the fact that she is the daughter of two drug addicts: “It seems like with a name like this I ought to be saving people's lives and winning wars, stuff like that, being some kind of martyr.” (ll. 3-5); “My mother is a heroine addict who got sent to prison for selling drugs in school yards. My father was a heroine addict, too, but he's dead now.” (ll. 28-30)
Being the daughter of two drug addicts had always had an impact on Victory, as she grew up feeling as anxious as an addict: “…I feel like I'll always be a …
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Transformation and sexuality
The theme of transformation and sexuality is explored through the main character and her two teenage friends, Jay and Tommy. The main character, Victory, is a 12-year-old girl who begins changing from a child to a teenager, a change that she is aware of and which confuses her: “I am basically a good kid, obedient, respectful, but things are changing inside, I feel all confused most of the time now. I want to be a woman, grown.” (ll. 42-45); “We're women, wrapped up in little girls.” (ll. 51)
On the one hand, Victory wants to become an adult and sometimes feels and behaves like a woman. This is why she wears lipstick and explores her sexuality: “My grandma won't let me wear lipstick, so I wait until I am down the street before I pull out my compact and put it on under a tree.…
