Character Analysis
Shorty's mom is the biggest believer in voodoo that you'll ever meet (next to Biggie, that is). She goes to the houngan, practices rituals, and even gets her twins involved in the culture. Perhaps that's why it's such a tough pill for her to swallow when she learns her kids will die in blood and darkness. It's clear that she places a lot of stock in fortune telling, and so she worries big time about her kids.
When Marguerite dies, Manman lies about it. Shorty hates her for it. When we hear why she's been lying, though, we get where she's coming from. She explains to her son, "I told you she was alive cos I wanted you to have hope. It was something I didn't have anymore, but I wanted you to have it" (21.31). Sigh. We don't think she should have made a kidnapping story up, but at the same time, we see how her hands were tied.
She wants to give her son the best life possible, but she can't. In the Site, there's no outside world or opportunities waiting, well, unless you count the gang. And yet Manman blames herself for Shorty joining up with Route 9: "I blamed you when you joined Biggie and his gang, but I was the one who did it" (21.20), she says.
Manman definitely has an extra dose of mom guilt on her plate. So here's the question: Is she right to blame herself, or is Shorty just a victim of his poor circumstances? Over to you, Shmoopers.