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Tia may only appear in a few brief scenes throughout the novel, but her relationship with Antoinette adds yet another heartbreaking element to her struggle for belonging. The daughter of Maillotte, Christophine’s friend, Tia is the only young person whom Antoinette ever seems to connect with. They spend their days playing together down by the river, and this bond offers Antoinette a reprieve from the rejection she experiences from her mother. The racial biases that define the social dynamic of Spanish Town, however, soon infiltrate their friendship. Tia makes her feelings toward Antoinette very clear when she shames her for her family’s financial struggles and steals her pennies and dress, mimicking the same sense of superiority that many of the Black adults in their community display toward Annette. Considering how innocent their relationship initially was, this betrayal serves as a harsh reminder of just how pervasive prejudice can truly be. Tia learns to value money and status over anything else because of how impactful those forces are in shaping the post-emancipation racial hierarchy on the island.
The tension between these two former friends emerges again during the fire at Coulibri, Tia standing by her mother’s side with a sharp rock in hand. Antoinette runs toward Tia desperate to find any sense of normalcy or comfort, but as the rock hits her face, she realizes that she is completely alone. This scene, while highlighting the ostracization Antoinette faces in a physical way, contains a number of key details which offer insight into the girls’ mindsets. Rather than sneering at Antoinette and her family as many of the other attackers do, Tia begins to cry as soon as she throws the rock. Her reaction suggests that she regrets her behavior and feels sorry for her friend, but she feels powerless to challenge the community’s choice to drive the family out of town. Antoinette sees this emotion and explains that “it was as if [she] saw [herself],” identifying with the pain and confusion that Tia is experiencing. In the end, this moment further exacerbates the loneliness that Antoinette feels because although both girls struggle to make sense of their situation, they know that they cannot navigate it together.
