Zora Magazine

‘Little Fires Everywhere’ Blazed a Path for a Real Convo on Race and Class

When Mia sells the photograph that Pauline left her in order to help pay her friend Bebe’s custody battle legal fees, it sends a thematic ripple through the narrative. The act is significant because it is in effect a proxy for her own right to retain custody of her child. By fighting for Bebe (Huang Lu), Mia was justifying the decision she made years ago to claim Pearl as her own, despite the agreement she had made with the Ryans. As she says while testifying as a character witness for her friend, Pearl came from her body. Doesn’t that give Mia a claim to her child?