Quotes (Leave Taking)

This section explains the key quotes in the play Leave Taking by Winsome Pinnock. Understanding the key quotes in Leave Taking is crucial for appreciating the themes, characters, and emotional depth of the play. Here are quotes from the play, along with explanations of their significance.

Enid: "You tink dis is Jamaica? You tink you can jus' walk outta mi 'ouse and come back any time you feel like?"

Context: Enid confronts Del for staying out late.

Significance: This quote highlights the cultural differences between Enid and her daughters. Enid is trying to instil traditional Jamaican values in her children, but Del resists, reflecting the generational conflict. It shows Enid’s frustration as she struggles to enforce her values in a British context.

Del: "I don't belong here. I don't belong there neither."

Context: Del expresses her feelings of displacement.

Significance: This captures Del’s sense of alienation and her identity crisis. She feels disconnected from both her Caribbean roots and British society, reflecting the experience of many second-generation immigrants who struggle to find a sense of belonging.

Enid: "I come 'ere to give you a better life, and all you do is fight me."

Context: Enid expresses her frustration with Del’s behaviour.

Significance: This quote highlights Enid’s sacrifices as a first-generation immigrant. She moved to Britain for the sake of her daughters, but feels unappreciated and misunderstood. It also underscores the pressure Del feels to live up to her mother’s expectations.

Viv: "You always talking about 'home'. But this is home for me."

Context: Viv responds to Enid’s nostalgia for Jamaica.

Significance: Viv, unlike Del, feels more grounded in Britain. This highlights the generational divide and the different ways the characters relate to the concept of home. For Viv, Britain is her reality, while for Enid, Jamaica remains a symbolic ‘home’.

Mai: "Your mother’s spirit is troubled."

Context: Mai speaks to Enid during a spiritual ceremony.

Significance: This introduces the theme of spiritual healing and connects the play to Caribbean cultural traditions. It reflects Enid’s internal struggles, her guilt, and unresolved feelings about her past.

Del: "I’m not like you, Mum. I don’t want the same things."

Context: Del speaks to Enid during an argument.

Significance: Del’s rejection of her mother’s values reflects the generational conflict between them. This quote symbolises Del’s desire to forge her own identity, separate from her mother’s expectations.

Enid: "Everything I do, I do for you."

Context: Enid justifies her strict parenting to her daughters.

Significance: This highlights Enid’s sense of duty and her belief that her sacrifices are for the benefit of her children. It also emphasises the pressure that Del and Viv feel to succeed and live up to their mother’s sacrifices.

Del: "You want me to be someone I’m not."

Context: Del confronts Enid about her expectations.

Significance: This captures Del’s feeling of being trapped by her mother’s ambitions for her. It underscores Del’s struggle with her identity and her resistance to the pressures placed on her.

Viv: "I’m scared. I’m scared of what might happen to me."

Context: Viv expresses her fear of failing her mother and herself.

Significance: Viv, though quieter than Del, also feels the pressure of Enid’s expectations. This quote reveals her anxiety about the future and her desire to succeed, which stems from both personal ambition and her mother’s hopes for her.

Enid: "Dis country don’t want you, and you don’t belong nowhere else."

Context: Enid reflects on her own feelings of displacement in Britain.

Significance: This reflects the theme of cultural alienation. Enid feels unwanted in Britain but also disconnected from Jamaica, symbolising the sense of rootlessness felt by many immigrants. It also echoes Del’s feelings of not belonging.

Mai: "Your ancestors watching over you. Dey waiting to guide you."

Context: Mai reassures the family during the spiritual ceremony.

Significance: This quote emphasises the importance of ancestry and spiritual guidance in Caribbean culture. It shows the play’s connection to tradition and the belief that spiritual healing can provide answers to emotional conflicts.

Del: "I don’t need no obeah woman telling me what to do."

Context: Del rejects Mai’s spiritual practices.

Significance: Del’s rejection of Caribbean spirituality reflects her detachment from her heritage. This highlights the cultural gap between her and her mother, and her desire to distance herself from the past.

Viv: "I want to make something of my life."

Context: Viv expresses her desire for success.

Significance: Viv’s ambition reflects her determination to fulfil her mother’s dreams for her. Unlike Del, Viv internalises the pressure placed on her and uses it as motivation, showing the different ways the daughters respond to their mother’s expectations.

Enid: "It hard enough to survive in dis country without you making tings worse."

Context: Enid reprimands Del for her rebellious behaviour.

Significance: Enid’s comment reflects the struggles of immigrants in Britain, particularly in terms of survival and overcoming societal obstacles. It also shows her fear that Del’s behaviour will make it even harder for them to succeed in a society that already marginalises them.

Del: "You think you know what it’s like, but you don’t."

Context: Del argues with Enid about their different experiences.

Significance: This quote highlights the disconnect between Del and her mother. While Enid sees Britain through the lens of an immigrant, Del views it as a British-born citizen. Their different perspectives on life in Britain fuel much of their conflict.

Mai: "You need to let go of di past if you want peace."

Context: Mai advises Enid during the spiritual ceremony.

Significance: This quote is symbolic of Enid’s emotional struggles. It suggests that Enid is holding on to past trauma, guilt, and longing for Jamaica, which prevents her from finding peace and fully accepting her life in Britain.

Enid: "I didn’t come 'ere for me, I came 'ere for you."

Context: Enid explains why she left Jamaica for Britain.

Significance: This quote emphasises the sacrifice Enid made for her children. It highlights the immigrant experience, where parents often endure hardships in a foreign country with the hope of providing a better future for their children.

Del: "You never listen to me. You only hear what you want to hear."

Context: Del accuses her mother of not understanding her.

Significance: This reveals the communication breakdown between Del and Enid. Del feels unheard and misunderstood, which fuels her resentment. It highlights the emotional distance between the characters, despite their physical proximity.

Viv: "Sometimes I feel like I’m carrying the weight of both of you on my shoulders."

Context: Viv expresses her feelings of being caught between her mother and sister.

Significance: This illustrates Viv’s role as the mediator in the family and the pressure she feels to balance the expectations of both her mother and her rebellious sister. It also reflects her internal struggles with her own identity.

Enid: "One day, you will understand."

Context: Enid speaks to her daughters towards the end of the play.

Significance: This quote encapsulates the hope that Enid has that her daughters will eventually recognise the importance of her sacrifices and her efforts to guide them. It also suggests the possibility of reconciliation in the future, even though the family’s conflicts remain unresolved.

Conclusion

These key quotes from Leave Taking by Winsome Pinnock provide insight into the main themes of the play: identity, cultural displacement, generational conflict, and the immigrant experience. Each quote reflects the struggles of the characters as they navigate their relationships with each other, their heritage, and the society around them. Understanding these quotes will help in analysing how Pinnock conveys the emotional and cultural tensions that define the characters’ lives.