Colour and Identity in ‘SPINEJUICE’ and ‘Mommy’s Girl’ by Riley Wells [Essay]

In Tiffany Kim’s ‘Mommy’s Girl,’ the colour pink is used to symbolise the forced infantilisation of Janie by her mother. In Gareth Fitzgerald’s ‘SPINEJUICE,’ however, the colour pink is suggestive of free self-expression rather than a forced personality. Although both stories begin with women in pink dresses, ‘Mommy’s Girl’ uses Janie’s dress as an example of the way her mother controls every facet of her life, from her appearance to her drinking habits to her love life. It instantly reveals to the reader that Janie is forced into a state of permanent adolescence by her mother, who is clinging to one daughter after the death of the other.

In ‘SPINEJUICE’ the woman in the pink dress is only discussed from her date’s perspective when he calls into a radio show to complain that everything she owns is pink. Notably, the reader never hears her perspective, only that of the man complaining that he can’t ‘get over’ it. Though the reader can’t fully understand the ‘girly girl’s’ love of pink, it can be assumed that she is acting more autonomously than Janie in ‘Mommy’s Girl’—after all, it’s very difficult for someone to decorate their whole apartment in the same colour by accident. As such, it can be argued that the use of pink in ‘SPINEJUICE’ is used as shorthand to describe a character with a strong sense of self. This is why Davey, who struggles to express himself throughout the majority of the story, ends by saying that pink is his favourite colour. At their core, both stories are about telling the truth—to others as well as to oneself. 

In ‘Mommy’s Girl,’ Kim uses the first-person perspective and dramatic irony to illustrate the contrast between Janie as an individual and Janie as Thea’s daughter. For example, it is revealed almost instantly that Janie is hungover and trying to hide it from her parents, but when she is later offered a drink, Thea interjects and says ‘my daughter doesn’t drink’ quite briskly. Not only does this interaction suggest that Thea doesn’t know her daughter as well as she thinks she does, it also further amplifies the idea that she wants to preserve her daughter in a state of permanent childhood, as evidenced by her picking out her daughter’s wedding guest dress, one that just happens to be ‘a pink, frilly monstrosity you’d think she’d stolen from the closet of a pompous toddler.’ There are further allusions to ways her mother has directed her life—such as forcing her to call off an engagement—but the full truth of the situation is deliberately obscured. It is vital that Kim offers the reader just enough information for them to empathise with both mother and daughter. Thea is clearly struggling to process the death of her other daughter Britt, and Janie is straining to live on her own terms. Another moment that illustrates the contrast between Janie and her family’s idea of her occurs when another guest knocks into her, forcing her to spill a drink all over her dress. It should be noted that Janie is ‘more embarrassed by how [she looks] next to her than annoyed about the spilled juice,’ proceeding to align herself with the other guest by saying ‘her dress clings in just the right way, with a slit running high up one side. I have a similar dress hanging in my closet; yet here I am, a walking flamingo.’ Kim plays with colour in a very interesting way—not only is the other guest’s dress more revealing and therefore more adult, but it’s also a deep blue colour, making it less traditionally feminine. This guest acts as a mirror, showing Janie who she wants to be and reminding the reader of all the sacrifices Janie has made for her mother’s approval. At the same time, Kim conflates Janie’s expression of femininity with innocence and immaturity. In order for Janie to break free of her mother’s control, it is not enough to remind her that she is an adult. She instead has to remind her that she isn’t a little girl. 

The theme of mirrors and foils is also present in ‘SPINEJUICE,’ with the unhappy couple on the radio show mirroring the differences in character between Davey and CJ. In one interpretation, the woman in the pink dress resembles CJ due to their strong senses of self, their free-spirited natures and their inability to conform to the image of a responsible adult. The woman in the pink dress is repeatedly infantilised as she is referred to solely as a ‘girl,’ without a name or any other identifying characteristics. The colour pink, as well as symbolising femininity, can symbolise innocence, joviality and light-heartedness, all traits that are often looked down on in adults. Fitzgerald describes CJ similarly. He goes broke, moves back in with his parents, tries something else, moves home again. When he begins working with Davey, it is referred to as an ‘experiment.’ He plays in a band and disappears mid-week to play at a music festival. The overall image of CJ is someone whose passions lie in opposition to what is required of them as an adult. CJ can’t show up for work every day, he can’t stick to one project, and so he bounces around from place to place, looking to outsiders like someone flighty and irresponsible but inwardly feeling ‘right.’

This interpretation would align Davey with the radio-caller, as they both seem to have senses of duty and how people should behave. Davey seems quite meek at the beginning of the story. He is the sort of person who takes his car to the car wash because he has ‘a coupon and nothing else to do.’ He is the sort of person who never brings up ‘The Matthew Thing,’ which is never explained but haunts the narrative; the reader can assume it relates to Matthew’s death and that he was friends with both CJ and Davey at school. Although Davey and the radio-caller seem like they have a stronger grasp of adulthood than the characters opposite them, they find themselves unable to process difficult feelings. The radio-caller is so bothered by his date not abiding by his expectations of women that he calls into a talk radio show to complain about her. Davey and his family ‘[pretend] that The Matthew Thing never happened’ when on the contrary, CJ brings up The Matthew Thing with ‘frequency and familiarity’ instead of suppressing his feelings. It is significant, then, that as the story progresses Davey begins to break free of the constraints around him, taking personal days at short notice and driving to the music festival where CJ is performing.

Throughout the story, Fitzgerald portrays Davey as such an anxious person, so concerned with work and what people think of him, that it’s easy to believe this is the first time he has ever done something without planning it meticulously first. In the final lines of the story, he asks a girl about her favourite colour, revealing that his own is pink. Fitzgerald therefore circles back to the opening scene with a very satisfying payoff. At the beginning of the story, Davey is alone, secretly admiring the woman’s commitment to her colour scheme and sympathising with her for being misunderstood by her date. By the end, he has opened a part of himself and taken a risk. The evolution is subtle but striking. 

In summary, both authors use pink in interesting and original ways, but with very different results. Kim uses the colour pink as shorthand for femininity and innocence, both of which must be sacrificed for Janie to escape the immense pressure put on her by her family. On the contrary, Fitzgerald uses the colour pink as a symbol of inner strength and self-assurance, as something to be embraced rather than rejected. Both pieces are very compelling and effectively explore themes of identity and authenticity.