Waiting to Exhale

When Bernadine learns that her husband wants a divorce, she is not surprised, but she is angry that he chose to leave her for a white woman who shares some similarities with the woman Bernadine was when she married John. Bernadine feels that John stole her identity and turned her into someone she doesn’t recognize, then left her when he got bored with her. This causes Bernadine to act out in many ways, and one of those ways is by burning his clothing and selling his belongings.

John’s belongings symbolize both Bernadine’s anger, but also her independence. She first burns his clothing and shoes, then sells all his other belongings for just $1, illustrating that her goal is to hurt him—not to profit. Bernadine cannot take out her anger on John himself, so she takes it out on his clothing by showing him that she understands material things are important to him, but they are not important to her. At the same time, Bernadine burns the luxury car John bought her. He didn’t buy the car for her because she wanted it, but because of the status he hoped to convey to their neighbors and friends. The car is another example of John’s need to be perceived in a certain way and a part of what Bernadine believes led to him deciding to divorce Bernadine to marry a young, white girl.