"I gotta go now."
"Why?"
"'Cause Momma gon' be lookin' for me soon. And if your folks catch us, they ain't gon' let us play together no more."
"I know."
(161).
At this point in the text, Perfect has discovered that she is actually Paul. He is hanging it out with Eva Mae for the first time since his family went back to church and everyone found out the truth. During this particular scene, Eva Mae and Paul are hanging out like they usually do, however since Paul's new identity has come to public knowledge, things are a bit different now and both Eva Mae and Paul recognize this. They are both still close to one another despite the sudden change however, it is no longer appropriate for them to play together because boys and girls are not allowed. Eva Mae is the only friend Paul has felt close to; she is his only community that he has left and in order for them both to preserve their friendship, they have to be secretive about it, otherwise they will be unable to see one another again. As the story continues to unfold from this point forward, the reader is able to see that community plays a large role in people's lives. Without community we are left to feel alone, ashamed, scared and silenced. As an outsider, anything we do wrong can be held against us and further ostracize us from community, family and friends. Community is one of the biggest building blocks for a society and if one person is left out of that community, there seems to be nothing left for that individual. We don't know what community really means until we have lost it.
Its also interesting to think about how community changes, as in how Perfect's transition into Paul changes not only himself but his community. He is no longer allowed to play with Eva Mae as a boy, but he can't understand this because he was raised as a girl.
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