Nightcrawling

In the final section, the growth of the key characters is apparent. The physical injuries suffered by Trevor are the culmination of the pain he has endured during his short life. Kiara cares for him as a mother would, solidifying the importance of her presence in his life. She complies when he is taken into Child Protective Services custody, doing her best to minimize the trauma of the transition for Trevor. By this point in the novel, Trevor has grown to depend on Kiara not just for his physical needs but for emotional support, too. It is ironic that Kiara is young enough to be a sister to Trevor—this further demonstrates that Kiara was forced to take on an adult role at a young age.

Trevor’s mother, Dee, makes her first and only appearance at the end of the novel. Though Kiara understands that Dee’s substance dependency prevents her from being a true mother to Trevor, she finds her neglect inexcusable, and there is no indication that Dee will be willing or able to change anytime soon. A glimmer of hope, however, appears regarding Mama’s character. She has successfully—with the help of Kiara’s recommendation letter—been released from the halfway house and reentered society. Though she still cannot offer Kiara anything in the way of money or other resources, for the first time in the novel, Mama provides emotional support to Kiara. In encouraging Kiara to scream, Mama demonstrates empathy for Kiara’s circumstances. The scream, on one hand, is an opportunity for Kiara to release the emotional stress she has tried to suppress during the previous months. She has been so occupied with trying to survive—obtain money to pay the rent, care for Trevor, then avoid the threat of the police—that she has not been able to confront the true pain she faces daily. Screaming allows her to release a portion of this frustration, a frustration that no words could accurately convey. Mama’s advice is also an implicit reminder of the danger of remaining silent. Kiara has been forced to comply with the abuse and injustice that oppresses her. By screaming, Kiara is symbolically “speaking out” against the injustices and trauma in her life. In this way, the scream anticipates the “speaking out” that Kiara will do at the grand-jury trial.

The injustice of the trial is evident from the start, as Kiara recognizes that she is the only one seated on her side of the courtroom. She is alone in challenging the police department’s side of the story; not even Marsha is allowed to be present during Kiara’s testimony. Throughout her testimony, the judge attempts to divert the blame from the involved police officers, insinuating that Kiara was free to decline to participate in the “parties.” Likewise, the judge attempts to defame her character, suggesting that drug use was a motivation for Kiara’s need for money. That Kiara is a sex-trafficking survivor is sharply clear to her and others in her life, specifically Marsha and Sandra, but because the system of power in place has much to lose by admitting the police were at fault, it is easy for that system to regard Kiara as disposable. It comes as no surprise to Kiara, then, when the ruling not to indict comes down.

Though Alé has wavered in her support for Kiara, her visit to Kiara after the trial implies she has had a change of heart. Alé has had difficulty separating Kiara’s situation from that of her missing sister, regarding Kiara as willingly “choosing” the path that was likely inflicted on Clara. By the end, however, Alé understands that this is not the case for Kiara. It seems likely that the Alé’s love will nurture and sustain Kiara going forward. Though Kiara’s future is uncertain, the tone of the ending is optimistic, suggesting that she will endure whatever challenges she faces.