Penny's Origin

Penny Rolle’s reasons for being on Bitch Planet aren’t explicit, and even more ambiguous is what happened to her parents. There are some hints in number 3, however. It would appear that Penny is biracial, her mother black and her father white. Her mother was probably taken into custody when Penny was very young, and her father is still on the run (raising the question; what happens to men who break the law in this society?). When Penny is at school, and the teacher/administrative woman is talking to her and “fixing” her hair, Penny asks what is wrong with it. The woman says “it’s not black or white, good or bad. Folks don’t know what to make of it because they don’t know what it is.” Penny then asks “why folks gotta say what I am, mother? Ain’t it enough to know who I am?” This implies that not only is Penny biracial, but that this isn’t normal in this society. We later learn about Penny’s father when we see Penny working in the bakery, and turns on the feed. The reporter is talking about a “gender terrorist”, showing a picture of a white man who has been arrested after 16 years, mentioning miscegenation, and describing him as “the size of an oak.” This points to it being Penny’s father, because earlier, Penny’s grandmother had described him as “strong as an oak.” Penny’s mother is described by the guards on Bitch Planet as “delusional” and refusing “to see the truth before her.” This would fit if the society didn’t believe a black woman could happily raise a family with a white man. 

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 30, 2017 at 5:10 PM

    Penny's story was not that explicit on how she got to bitch planet. I think that Penny might be on bitch planet because its the fact that Penny did't have a dad to tame her and keep her out of trouble. I think that the role of men are a priority in the is comic to keep the women in check. Society in the comic doesn't believe in different races to have a family. I think Penny was also thrown on bitch planet was because she was different and wild from all the other women in the normal world. She has this rage and she does whatever she wants and fights for what she believes in.

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