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Uncle Clarence definitely went too far when he went after Maureen nonconsensually. Should this be forgiven given the trauma he endured as a child? Is his past enough to excuse his actions?

This was the part of the book, I disagreed with. I felt this was not handled or addressed properly. Attempted rape was minimized and swept under the rug. There were no consequences for Uncle Clarence's actions and he was depicted as poor Uncle Clarence. He is a grown man. What about Maureen?

Uncle Clarence obviously has his issues. However, I don't think his trauma should excuse his actions. I wish that this was addressed more in the book. He should have taken responsibility for his actions and apologized. His entire family excuses his actions because of his trauma, and that just encourages his behavior.

In my opinion, it is exactly Uncle Clarence past that makes his actions unforgivable. He is not stranger to this kind of suffering and I believe his own experience should have been enough to stop him from from inflicting similar trauma to Maureen. In case he was any sort of decent person.

I feel that Uncle Clarence should definitely been held accountable, but should also have received professional help. I was also disappointed that Maureen didn’t handle the situation better long before it reached the attempted rape. She should have taken a much firmer stand with him.

Uncle Clarence does deserve to pay. Being forgiven doesn't mean he shouldn't take responsibility. If we all based our bad actions and blamed our childhood traumas the world would be so chaotic. No, I do not like the idea of him playing the victim. Nothing warrants taking advantage of another person for whatever reason. He should have been held accountable.

gnwagu1 wrote: ↑14 Nov 2020, 19:23 Uncle Clarence definitely went too far when he went after Maureen nonconsensually. Should this be forgiven given the trauma he endured as a child? Is his past enough to excuse his actions?

I understand how often children of abuse tend to abuse others as they get older. However, these actions should not be taken lightly and should not be swept under the rug in a book. People who have been abused need to learn to deal with their past and get counseling or other help to ensure that it doesn't continue. The book doesn't really show what Maureen's feelings are when she is abused by Uncle Clarence. Now we have added to the cycle which is so unfair.

No, he should not be forgiven. Had Kalayla not came in I don't know what would have happened but I know it would have been worse. That's unforgivable

His past is not enough to excuse Clarence's actions. However, he should be forgiven. Forgiveness does not mean the actions were justified. At the end of the book he was in such a state it didn't seem as though he would be capable of trying the same atrocity again. He was no longer a threat. Not forgiving him would only harm the people holding the grudge, not Clarence.

I think that what he did was unforgivable and he should take responsibility for his actions. Maybe one day he could be forgiven if he truly gets the help he needs but that's up to Maureen.

I struggle with Clarence. The story of his trauma was very detailed and I felt empathy to him. However, in present time, he lurked so much and had such limited positive qualities about him. By the time he attacked Maureen, I felt so sick of his storyline and felt no sympathy. He should not be forgiven.

gnwagu1 wrote: ↑14 Nov 2020, 19:23 Uncle Clarence definitely went too far when he went after Maureen nonconsensually. Should this be forgiven given the trauma he endured as a child? Is his past enough to excuse his actions?

Should he be forgiven? I believe so. And that has nothing to do with the trauma he endured as a child. We all do things for which we need forgiveness. What he experienced as a child was awful, but it should by no means be used to excuse what what he did (or attempted to do) to Maureen.

Forgiveness and justice are complementary to each other. Everyone's heart is different and has a different capacity for forgiveness. Uncle Clarence also has been through a traumatic experience.

valeriejane wrote: ↑17 Nov 2020, 10:27 This was the part of the book, I disagreed with. I felt this was not handled or addressed properly. Attempted rape was minimized and swept under the rug. There were no consequences for Uncle Clarence's actions and he was depicted as poor Uncle Clarence. He is a grown man. What about Maureen?

I agree with your thoughts here. I also felt like it was just swept away and I don't feel like the response was aproppriate to the situation. Despite the trauma that Clarence went through, he was a grown man and his traumatic experience happened when he was very young. He has had a lot of time to attempt to work through that trauma, but he chose not to (at least to the readers knowledge). He has continued to let his traumatic experience run his life and his actions. I don't think that he should have been forgiven as easily as he was.

Good question. I do not think Clarence should have been forgiven. I was surprised that no one did anything after his repeated attempts to corner Maureen. It was terrifying that everyone knew he was a creep but did not speak up about it to his face or at least tell his mother. I understand that he has gone through his own trauma but his actions are still his own and there is no excuse for what he did. He needs mental health care and unfortunately we don't see any mention of this need.