Flight · Chapter
Chapter XVII explained
Mimi moves from Harlem to a small room in the lower Nineties, feeling she is closing one chapter of her life and opening another.
What happens
Mimi moves from Harlem to a small room in the lower Nineties, feeling she is closing one chapter of her life and opening another. She begins working at Francine's, where she meets Sylvia Smith, a Jewish woman passing as French. Mimi and Sylvia become friends, and Mimi starts attending night school, studying design, French, and other subjects. The chapter also touches on the outbreak of World War I and Mimi's continued efforts to save money to bring her son Petit Jean to her.
Themes in this chapter
Racial Identity and Passing
Mimi passes as white while working at Francine's, and Sylvia passes as French, highlighting the complexities and moral dilemmas of racial passing.
Class and Materialism
The chapter contrasts the materialistic aspirations of the residents in the apartment building and the workers at Francine's with Mimi's more modest goals.
Resilience and Self-Reinvention
Mimi reinvents herself in a new environment, pursuing education and work to build a better life for herself and her son.
Characters to notice
- Mimi Daquin
Mimi moves to a new apartment, starts working at Francine's, and begins a new life in New York, feeling like she is opening a new room in her life.
- Sylvia Smith
Sylvia is a Jewish woman passing as French, who becomes Mimi's close friend and mentor at Francine's, sharing her ambitions and dreams.
- Francine
Madame Francine is the owner of the dress shop where Mimi and Sylvia work, and is described as falsely claiming French heritage.
- Old Jean
Mimi's son, Petit Jean, is mentioned as the reason she is saving money and working hard, hoping to bring him to live with her.
Key passages
“Again Mimi had the feeling she was closing a book in her life and opening a new one.”
Mimi felt she was ending one phase of her life and beginning another.
This reflects Mimi's sense of transition and new beginnings.
“She felt she was always opening the door of another room, passing through it, then opening and closing behind her, never to be reopened, the door of the next cubicle.”
Mimi saw her life as a series of rooms, each one closed behind her as she moved to the next.
This metaphor illustrates Mimi's view of her life as a sequence of distinct chapters.
“Race prejudice is a lot of bunk.”
Sylvia dismisses racial prejudice as nonsense.
Sylvia's comment reflects her pragmatic view on race and passing.