The hidden Meaning Every once in a while, there is a story that has more meaning to the reader than what is written in the text. This is a message that can only be interpreted by a truly open minded reader. In the novel Precious, the obvious plot is that of a woman which has the world working against her. She is a victim of numerous types of abuse, living in the ghetto, and a 16 year old mother of two kids that were given to her by her own father. Throughout the story Claireece Precious Jones overcomes diversity and strives to become the best person that she can be. This is the obvious plot or subject of the novel. However, if you open your mind to read between the lines, you can find a deeper meaning to this story. This deeper meaning can be expressed as the Theme of the story. The theme is usually a central or dominant idea that conveys values beyond the story. One of the most interesting examples of the theme is the conflict between Claireece and her parents. Claireece’s mother is a lazy, angry woman that takes all her aggression out on her daughter. Furthermore, she blames her daughter for the infidelity of her husband with her. Throughout the story, the mother is cursing at Claireece, throwing objects and belittling her on a daily basis. Her father provides another extreme of abuse towards Claireece. She is 16 years old and has mothered two children as a result of the repeated raping by her father. On the outside, Claireece shows hate for her mother and father, she would not care if they died tomorrow. It is this rage and anger that pushes Claireece to work towards a better life. Her mother drives into her head that she will never amount to anything, along with suggesting that she should quit school to live off welfare. Claireece enters an alternative learning center with other children with the same struggles. Unknown to her mother, she is excelling in her reading and discovers that she really enjoys it. This is not apparent in the novel, but if you look deeply into the actions of Claireece you can see a smart, driven woman that wants to do the right thing. Her values are not diverted by her surroundings. Her values remain strong; she strives to do the right thing for her children and to work towards a goal that will provide a better life for her and her children.
Claireece is a big woman; the other kids in her class are intimidated by her stature. When the other students are being disruptive and disrespectful, Claireece is quick to put them in their place. She has experienced the bullying from her family at home; as a consequence she is quick to stand up towards others that try to push that on other people. In the end, the conflict between Claireece and her parents creates an environment that is both destructive and motivating. It is inspiring to the reader to read about someone with the life like Claireece, along with seeing that something positive can come out of it. The reader can relate to her story in some way. Everyone has had times in their life where they had a decision to make. These decisions would either send them down a road to failure, or the alternative road would send them to a positive outcome. It is these decisions that will one day lead them to the person that they will become. Claireece and her family struggles could have easily sucked her in towards this path of self destruction. However, she made a decision to be a better person because of it. The life that people strive for is completely up to the individual. The choices that people make when confronted with difficult decisions is where the road turns towards good or bad.