Sugar

Part 1, Chapter 6 reveals more about Sugar’s relationship with Mister and Missus Beale. The elderly couple was present when Sugar was born, and Mister Beale claims that even when she was a baby, she was spunky. Sugar says she still is, as she recently pulled a tail feather out of a mean rooster named Ugly, who was bullying a hen she named Peanut. She escaped Ugly by climbing a tree. Mister Beale agrees that they can’t allow Ugly to peck at Peanut and commends Sugar for her courage; he smiles at her with cloudy eyes that blur his vision. He tells Sugar that one day, when his vision is fully gone, her “tales will comfort him" (47), just as his tales comfort her now.

Late at night, Sugar overhears Mister and Missus Beale talking in the room next to hers. They mostly discuss their children, who left to live up north, and wonder what their lives are like now, and if they have started families of their own. They miss them and wonder if they should have gone with them, after all. These conversations make Sugar miss her own Ma and Pa; when she hears the Beales speak, she can pretend her parents are with her again.

The next day, Mister Beale tells Sugar about his own days as a spunky child in Africa. Before he was captured, Mister Beale would pull pranks on people by hiding snakes everywhere he could. Sugar begs him to tell her a story about Br’er Rabbit and Hyena. At first, Mister Beale hesitates, and Missus Beale dissuades him from distracting Sugar from her chores. Then, Lizzie appears at their side, wearing her best dress and carrying a bundle. She asks Mister Beale to tell a story, and he agrees. Sugar is delighted, and the two friends sit and listen closely.

As the tale unfolds, “folks start gathering. Everybody loves Mister Beale’s stories” (50). The story is about Br’er Rabbit and the Tar Baby, in which Br’er Rabbit tricks Hyena. Sugar and the rest of the crowd laugh until their stomachs hurt, and Sugar pleads with Mister Beale to tell another story. Before Mister Beale can answer, a voice in the distance shouts, “Time to go” (53). Sugar turns to see Lizzie’s Pa walking toward them. Behind him, Lizzie’s Ma is in a wagon, along with all of their belongings.

Sugar suddenly realizes what is happening: Lizzie is leaving with her family to go up north. Lizzie hugs Sugar tight, and when the latter won’t let go, Missus Beale gently pulls her away. Sugar runs alongside the wagon, shouting for Lizzie and her parents to take her with them. She can’t keep up for long and watches her friend disappear.

A week goes by, and Sugar feels lonelier than ever. In addition to Lizzie’s abrupt departure, Billy has not been down by the river. Sugar worries that his father found out about them playing together. Missus Beale attempts to get Sugar to help with the garden, but the latter begins to “feel an imp overtaking [her. She] jump[s], stomp[s]” (58), and yells that no one asked her if she wanted to stay or go up north, and questions why she has to work for rent, why she is paid less, and other questions that the Beales can’t satisfactorily answer.

Missus Beale tries to reason with Sugar, but Mister Beale tries to comfort her. Sugar pulls away and looks at the Beales. She sees that her sadness has them both worried and tries to pull herself together, as they “have enough sorrow” (60). With a deep breath, Sugar changes her tune and begins to tell jokes to lighten the mood. The Beales breathe a sigh of relief, and Sugar collapses into Missus Beale’s arms. Missus Beale hugs Sugar back, and Mister Beale says he’ll tell her a story later. Forgetting that it’s a secret, Sugar asks if the story is “About Chinamen?” (61). The Beales look angry, but then their anger turns to worry. Sugar feels terrible that she blurted out Billy’s secret and worried the Beales at the same time. Mister Beale calmly takes Sugar’s hand, and the two go to tend to the garden.

For the next several days, Missus Beale lurks around Sugar, trying to get her to confess how she heard about the workers coming from China. However, Sugar’s lips are sealed; she won’t betray Billy further by telling Missus Beale how she knows.

Missus Beale tasks Sugar with making soap. Sugar despises making soap, as the mixture smells of “grease and pork fat” (66), stirred in with lye that burns her eyes and nose. To distract Missus Beale and get out of work, Sugar pretends that Mister Beale is calling for her. Missus Beale hears nothing, but Sugar insists that she must be going deaf, because Mister Beale is calling for her, clear as day. Missus Beale does not budge and tells Sugar that she will be making her own clothes after they’ve finished the soap. Sugar complains that Billy doesn’t have to make his own clothes; his are made by a housemaid.

During soap-making, Sugar stops stirring, unable to do anything but focus on her misery. Annoyed, Missus Beale grabs Sugar’s hand and forces her to stir. Sugar decides to act like Br’er Rabbit and again insists that Missus Beale find Mister Beale, who has been calling her. She then takes off, running into Missus Thornton, the preacher’s wife, who makes her apologize to Missus Beale. Sugar begrudgingly obeys and wonders why they even bother with soap. Neither the smell of sugar, nor the dirt that stains their clothes, ever comes off.

As punishment for trying to get out of her chores, Sugar is forced to sit on the porch steps. Bored, Sugar is left with nothing to do but listen to the older people shuffling by. Most of them whisper to each other about the Chinese workers. They worry these new workers will drive them out of their jobs and homes.

Sugar stands outside Billy’s house with a handful of pebbles. She has grown tired of waiting for him and decides to ask if he still wants to be friends. Beside her, a curious black-and-white cat called No Name watches. Sugar is envious of the cat, who has no rules to follow.

Sugar knows Missus Beale would disapprove of her sneaking out to see Billy. She wishes her Ma was still alive, for she would “understand [Sugar] and Billy mix just fine” (72). Sugar believes Billy has forgotten that the two of them are pirates, and “Pirates don’t follow rules” (72). With newfound determination, she takes one of her pebbles and throws it at Billy’s second story window.

The first pebble doesn’t even make it to the house. With each throw, Sugar gets closer and closer to hitting the window. When she finally makes contact, Billy doesn’t stir. Sugar throws again and again, until the window shatters under a larger rock. Billy peeks at her through the broken window, and waves, but the noise wakes the whole household. Mister Wills sees Sugar and yells at her; she runs.

At the river, Sugar takes off her shoes and begins to splash in the water. Not far behind is Billy, who quickly joins the fun. The two have a water fight, splashing each other with the Mississippi river. They chase each other through the mud until they collapse with exhaustion. Sugar asks Billy what is beyond River Road, and he says he’ll take her there on the raft. Billy shows Sugar the neighboring plantations, which will bloom with flowers in the spring. They pull the raft over and Sugar “step[s], for the first time, on dirt that’s not River Road” (77). At this realization, she cries.

When the children return, Sugar makes Billy vow that they won’t keep secrets anymore. She is going to tell the Beales about Billy, even though it will likely get her punished. Billy admits he told her about the new workers from China because she seemed adventurous, like him. Ever since Billy’s cruel brother Anthony left, he has been without companion; Sugar is his first real friend.

Sugar and Billy share the sentiment of wishing they’d known each other sooner. They lock hands and “wrap together like the colors on a finger trap” (79). As they part ways, Sugar feels certain that her friendship with Billy is a good thing.

When Sugar gets home, she is shocked to find Mister Wills on her porch, talking to the Beales. She approaches just as Mister Wills demands that Mister Beale keep her away from Billy; others have gathered around to watch. Without thinking, Sugar shouts that she and Billy want to be friends. Mister Wills is livid and asks why he should keep Sugar on his land. He reminds all the workers that they only live there because he allows them to, and this could change at any moment. He advises Mister Beale to keep Sugar under control, or he’ll kick them off the land.

Mister Beale nods in understanding and asks how much he owes Mister Wills for the broken window. The latter replies that the window will cost a dollar, a hefty price for the time. Sugar tries to pay for the window herself, but the Beales won’t allow it. For the first time, Sugar realizes her actions can have consequences for other people, and she feels terrible for the trouble she caused the Beales.

Mister Wills claims that “Just ‘cause slavery’s ended doesn’t mean whites and blacks are equals” (83). Mister Beale replies, “And Chinamen? […] They equal?” (83). The workers turn to Mister Wills, wanting to know if they’ll lose their jobs and homes because of the new workers. Mister Wills tries to reassure them that he will be fair with the change. Sugar and the others know Mister Wills is far from fair, so this response does nothing to soothe them.

The next day, Sugar spends most of the morning hiding in bed, trying to forget the troubles of the previous day and the new workers’ upcoming arrival. As she lies in bed, she remembers her mother’s final words to her (“Do. See. Feel”). Knowing her Ma “wouldn’t want [her] to hide in bed” (90), Sugar gets up and gets dressed.

Sugar rushes out the door and shouts that it is Eagle Day and begins to flap her shawl like a pair of wings and jumps off the porch. She ignores Missus Beale who chides her for behaving wildly, and rushes past the old workers worrying about tomorrow.

Though winter, the season in which eagles nest and birth, is nearly over, Sugar sets off to find a nest of unhatched eggs. She decides to “climb at least fifteen trees. One tree for every year [she’s] been alive. Then five trees for the years [she’s] been free” (92). Sugar searches, but each nest is empty.

After 13 trees, Sugar feels like giving up. However, she keeps going. She ascends an old cypress and, at the top, sees a nest; however, it is empty. Just as she is about to give up again, Sugar hears cawing from above. She looks up to see an eagle circling, watching her. She is overwhelmed with happiness at the sight. Sugar’s search for eggs may not have brought what she wanted, but it brought her what she needed: a bird that symbolizes the freedom she craves.