Character Analysis
Sassy, strong, and assertive, Fern is a forced to be reckoned with for a little kid. She'll tell anybody off, even Crazy Kelvin. When she catches him double-crossing the Black Panthers, she wastes no time calling him out on his fickle nature, even doing so in front of everybody at the rally. It's clear she's tough as nails.
Yet there's something mysterious about Delphine's littlest sister, too. The way Delphine puts it:
"I can study every move Fern makes and still not completely know her. There are things I just don't understand about her the way I understand Vonetta." (24.24)
Hmm… seems like there's more to this little kid than meets the eye.
Sure, Fern acts like a little kid who gets scared flying and thinks the Golden Gate bridge is like Sleeping Beauty's castle. Thing is, she also manages to write poetry and recite a piece in front of thousands of people all by herself. Fern is very artistic and thinks deeply about stuff that most kids her age aren't even aware of.
Then there's the fact that Cecile won't even call Fern by name, instead calling her "little girl" whenever she wants to get Fern's attention. Cecile wanted to name Fern Afua but was shot down, and not calling Fern by her name is Cecile's way of making sure everybody knows she's not pleased. Way to hold a grudge and unfairly place your child in the crosshairs, Cecile.
Making Cecile's name stance even worse is the fact that Fern has no interest in being called Afua. She's been known as Fern her whole life, and she wishes her mom would call her this, too. When Delphine talks about calling Fern by her real name, it upsets her; Fern says, "Take that back, Delphine. […] My name's not Afua. It's Fern" (33.15). Fern doesn't want people want to call her Afua because that's not who she is. In her mind, she's always been and she'll always be Fern.
Fun fact: Names are pretty major players in this book so check out what else we have to say about Fern's over in the "Characterization" section.