It's hard to be a girl in Jumped. In the novel, girls are expected to be flighty, fashion-conscious, and socially adept. And high school is a dangerous place to break these expectations. Trina is a little too cute and feminine, which annoys some people around her to no end, while Leticia is all about style and clothes and gossip. For her part, Dominique doesn't fit any role of what girls "should" be—not in dress, values, or behavior—and she's the girl who most pushes the boundaries of how society defines femininity in Jumped.
Questions About Women and Femininity
- How is Dominique's temper and aggression entangled with expectations of womanhood? Where do the two converge and diverge? And should readers condemn Dominique for her somewhat masculine traits or celebrate her differences from the social norm? Why?
- How are social expectations in Jumped similar to and different from social expectations in high school in real life?
- What does Trina think about girls who aren't girly-girls? Why might she think this, and does her opinion justify what happens to her?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
When Dominique destroys Trina's physical appearance, Trina loses what makes her a woman.
The teachers in the novel perpetuate the definitions of womanhood that exist within the student body.