Short Paper #1
“The Lesson”
In the short story, “The Lesson” written by Toni Cade Bambara, we are introduced to our narrator along with all the other characters right from the start. The main character, which is also the narrator, is a female who comes from a very low-income neighborhood. We can tell where she comes from based on the way she talks about herself and the people around her. For example, the narrator says “…us being my cousin, mostly, who lived on the block cause we all moved North the same time and to the same apartment then spread out gradual to breathe.” (59) This story was written during the time period of which the majority of the African American population was migrating towards the North. The narrator is a proud and sensitive, yet tough young girl who is far too intelligent to push aside the truth around her.
As the story continues, we learn more and more about the narrator. Her friends are Sugar, Fly Boy, Big Butt, Rosie Giraffe, and Junebug. The other characters in this story assist in helping the narrator explore the harsh reality that most poor and minority people face in the United States. She has a neighbor named Miss. Moore who acts and dresses in the way like she knows she is so much better than them. The narrator goes about her life with the mentality that although she is lower class and poorly educated, she continuously attempts to deny her social status and poverty throughout the entire story.
Due to the fact that our main character had a rough upbringing in a low-income neighborhood, it therefore affects the way that she acts towards the people around her. First off, in the opening paragraph we see her and Sugar talking down about Miss. Moore just based on the way that she looks and dresses. For instance, she says, “…so we’d be presentable for travel with Miss. Moore, who always looked like she was going to church, though she never did.” (59) The narrator acts as though her and all of her friends are so much better than Miss. Moore.
When the group of characters travels into New York City and goes to FAO Schwartz with Miss. Moore for the afternoon, it really hits all of them hard how little they really do have, while Mercedes continues to rub it in that she is better off than everyone else. When they discover the paperweight that is for sale for $480, Mercedes seems to be the only person of the group that knows what it is. Miss. Moore asks all the children what they do to organize their papers on their desks at home, which just re-iterates that they do not have as many luxuries as other kids. Mercedes says, “I have a box of stationary on my desk and a picture of my cat. My godmother bought the stationery and the desk. There’s a big rose on each sheet and the envelopes smell like roses.” (61) This statement made my Mercedes bragging about the nice thing she has at home immediately gets a sour response from our narrator and a few of the other characters. Furthermore, once the group of kids enters the store, they immediately being to feel ashamed. The narrator says, “then the rest of us tumble in like a glued-together jigsaw done all wrong. And people lookin at us. And it’s like the time me and sugar crashed into the Catholic Church on a dare.” (63) They feel ashamed because none of them belong in there, just like they did not belong in the Catholic Church when they went inside.
Due to the fact that our narrator was brought up in such a rough lower-class neighborhood, this affects the way that she reacts in certain situations. Throughout the entire store, she is denying her social status and poverty. She also denies the Miss. Moore has ever taught her any lessons. Lastly, the narrator says, “She can run if she want to and even run faster. But ain’t nobody gonna beat me at nuthin.” (64) This stands for a metaphor that people are always ahead of her, yet she does not allow that to bring her down. The narrator goes through the entire story being negative towards all the people around her that have more things than she does, and this is merely due to the fact that she is in more poverty than the others.
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