Written by Kali Fajardo-Anstine, Sabrina & Corina includes a collection of short stories, which regard different topics, from friendship to motherhood. One of the stories is Sugar Babies, which describes the process of completing the eighth-grade project by children. Students are to take responsibility for sugar babies as if they were real infants. In order to fulfill this task, students were also randomly divided into couples. The main character, Sierra, was to care for the sugar baby with Robbie. During their interaction, it is possible to reveal their characters and specialties, which prompts readers to understand the message of the book. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the personalities of Sierra and Robbie and present the major difference, similarity, and connection between them.
At first, when the children received their sugar baby and learned about their task, Sierra may have seemed indifferent toward their responsibility comparing to Robbie’s attitude. He began the conversation and asked the girl about the name of her preference. She refuses to give the name to the sugar baby. In addition, her phrase may have been illustrative of her attitude toward the situation: “And you take it home tonight. I’ll watch it tomorrow, but only if I have to”. On the contrary, the boy appeared to be more enthusiastic about caring for a pretend infant and gives it a name after his grandmother – Miranda. He attempts to adhere to all the requirements of the teacher.
However, after a while, it may be noticed that Sierra started to treat Miranda with carefulness and diligence. She drew her face and put the sugar baby next to herself during the dinner. When her mother offered the “doll” a plate, Sierra answered: “She’s not a doll. And she’s way too young for solids”. Thus, the girl started to treat her school task with seriousness.
In the middle of the story, Sierra’s care for Miranda may have seemed weird to some extent. One day, when she passed the sugar baby to Ribbie, she claimed: “She cried all night. I didn’t get any sleep”. The girl was determined to do her best in the context of her responsibility and imagines a great number of fantasies. Finally, she felt the affection of Miranda and almost believed that the sugar baby was her real child. Such a tendency may be explained by her insults, connected with Sierra’s mother. Since her childhood, her mother regularly left home for long periods, which deprived the girl of the mother’s care. Moreover, when students were supplied with the project, her mother decided to return. Therefore, her affection may appear to be the result of her feelings toward her mother.
On the contrary, Robbie did not have special emotion about the sugar baby. He took into consideration all the requirements supplied by the teacher and attempted to fulfill them. For instance, when Sierra told him about the cries of the pretend infant during the night, Robbie responded: “How could she cry? She’s only a sugar”. When he learned about the fact that the baby’s outfit was lost, he stated: “We’ll lose points if she’s wearing the same diaper from last night”. The boy did not have an in-depth emotional association with Miranda. In addition, the author attempts to highlight special mother feelings and care, which cannot be habitual for men. For this reason, the boy cannot share the affliction of Sierra. Thus, the major difference between characters is their attitude to their sugar baby.
Furthermore, before the assignment for the project, the character did not socialize actively. At the beginning of their care for Miranda, the suger baby was their only connection and the topic of the conversation. However, after some time, it could be noticed that their communication became closer. Sierra shared her worries about her mother’s leaves. She also prompted Roddie to the question of the last crying, and the boy revealed her his emotions and fears. Therefore, gradually, the characters become open to each other.
In addition, with the help of the mother, the girl learned the special connection to the ancestors. The mother took the girl to the gravel found in their area. Sierra attempts to discuss this question with Robbie, who recently had accidentally dug the gravel. This situation regards their major similarity, which their Latin origin. They share similar traditions and beliefs and have a special connection with their ancestors.
In conclusion, it should be mentioned that the communication of the characters contributed to the comprehension of the meaning of the entire collection. Kali Fajardo-Anstine is determined to cover Latin tradition and specialties and highlight that being a Latin is a unique experience. For this reason, the connection and similarity between Sierra and Robbie are crucial. Furthermore, the author also regards the topic of being a woman, willing to concentrate on both the female power and special feelings. In order to pursue this aim, Kali Fajardo-Anstine contradicts these characters. Thus, the interaction of Sierra and Robbie is extremely meaningful in the context of the book.