Set It Off Response
"Cleo, on the other hand, is never given a motive for her violence and is therefore is depicted as a stereotypical "bulldagger" with violent tendencies." writes Springer on pg 187 of Waiting to Set it Off
I think this statement is slightly inaccurate. Cleo does have motives for her violence. Her motives are new cars, expensive gifts, and lots of cash. These motivations are similar to the black men portrayed in the beginning of the film robbing the bank. Because her motivations are not as "honorable" as her sisters in crime, they are disregarded by the author. To Cleo money buys temporary happiness. She lives for the moment, and at that moment she wants a car with rims and hydraulics. Obviously this is very different from the others in the film who rob banks for social injustice or for custody of their children. But just because it is different does not mean it should be disregarded. In fact, Cleo's motivations help strengthen the argument about her feminie masculinity.