Tar Baby

Jadine Childs is one of the two protagonists in Tar Baby, and opposite Son, must face difficult decisions when it comes to love. Jadine is the niece of Ondine and Sydney and considers Valerian Street her patron. Her education is funded by Valerian, and throughout the novel, she sides with him in most, if not all matters, much to Son’s dismay. Her approach to love is cautious, and she fervently protects her independence. She questions the motives of men she is romantically involved with, and frequently reminds herself to not let any man control her. Her hesitations when it comes to men stem from a scene from her childhood, in which she saw a female dog targeted and punished for the actions of male dogs around her. The female dog was in heat, and could not control the other dogs nearby, but still suffered the abuse of a bystander. This scene guides her throughout her life: “All around her it was like that: a fast crack on the head if you let the hunger show so she decided then and there at the age of twelve in Baltimore never to be broken in the hands of any man” (124). Jadine refuses to be controlled by men and refuses to be broken by men.