In “Gorilla, My Love” by Toni Cade Bambara, the narrator expresses her distrust towards adults and how if they say something, “they outta mean it”. Her experiences of not being able to trust the adult figures in her life represent the inability of African American people to trust authority who give them their word, but continually break it. Reading this story through this lens allows the reader to understand why the narrator is so upset at the lies she has been told, and dive deeper into why she has the tantrums she does when she discovers these lies. Through varying examples of the kinds of deception the narrator faces, Toni Cade Bambara’s story shows the impact that going back on your words can have on a person, and a community.