Loyalty can be a powerful and beneficial force, inspiring people to consider others and fostering important bonds. It can also drive a wedge between people, though. In Dark Water, Pearl cares a whole lot about loyalty and strives to be a super loyal friend, cousin, and girlfriend. On the surface, that's not a bad thing—but here's the problem: Pearl cares more about her loyalty to people than anything else. Loyalty blinds her to how her actions affect those she isn't trying to be loyal to, causing all kinds of drama with friends and family alike. Oops.
Questions About Loyalty
- Is loyalty as important as it seems to Pearl in the novel? What if she was loyal to her family instead of Amiel? What would change?
- Is Amiel loyal to Pearl like Pearl is loyal to Amiel? Do they share a sense of loyalty, or is it one-sided? How can you tell? Be specific, please.
- In many ways, Pearl's dad represents the opposite of loyalty. What or who is he loyal to? Why doesn't he stick around in her life?
- Is loyalty ever detrimental in Dark Water? Give examples from the text to support your argument.
Chew on This
While Pearl is overly concerned with being loyal to everyone, no one is loyal to her.
Pearl uses loyalty as an indicator of how successful a relationship is. Without loyalty, a relationship dies.