Hilly treats her mother with no respect and sends her to a nursing home. Although Hilly is very demanding, she is in control and gets what she wants. In Jackson society, there are “rules” of what black woman can or cannot do. It is like they live in a completely different world. Whites and blacks are not supposed to be friends because of a “line” that exists that separate them.
The DeRosier’s were also the ones who shattered her dreams of a perfect family by saying “We take you in because your parents don’t want you"(35). The DeRosier’s left April with a shame of her background and an even deeper shame for her parents. Even though the DeRosier’s did so much bad for April and her identity, they still did some good for her. They made such an horrible environment but April stayed strong and grew as a person. She even said “I could let the DeRosier’s suck out my dignity for now and I could pretend they had me where they wanted me.
Throughout her appeal, Grimke repeatedly states that all women “are our sisters”, because she wants everyone to realize that all women are women no matter what color they are. Grimke criticizes white women in the North for looking away and not acting compassionately toward “their colored sisters” while horrible things happen to them. She states that “our colored sisters are dreadfully oppressed” in America and those women have to stand up for them. If women decide not to act, then they may as well be termed “the white slaves of the North”. She wants northern women to stop being ignorant, stop pretending like they have nothing to do with slavery and start working together to fight the injustice that is present in their lives.
Rosaleen, Lily’s nanny is also a key character in this book, as she too escapes with Lily, as they attempt to escape from the hatred they have experienced. In the “Secret Life of Bees” Kidd presents a strong message about racism. The novel is set in 1964, which is right after the Civil Rights Act in South Carolina, Tiburon. African American people still experienced racism; they do not have the right to vote even though the Civil Rights Act has already occurred. Lily’s African American nanny and also her only friend, Rosaleen was trying to vote, but the police put her in jail.
Since children were exposed to this behavior the racism has been passed down to generation to generation. Prejudice is something that is taught, not something that you are born with. The Help is a continuation of the prejudice shown in later years. Its mainly based on African American maids working in the homes of white families doing their work and being treated very poorly. The prejudice was so intense in this white community that one very dedicated maid Minny Jackson lost her job for using the white families toilet, it was believed that the blacks carried other “diseases” than
Despite these clashes of perspective, the main conflict between mother and son derives from Julian’s inability to put his pride aside, accept the sacrifices his mother made for him, and move on from his lack of success in the real world. Julian sees himself as a martyr for African-Americans. He fantasizes about bringing home a black girlfriend just to frustrate his mother mad and sympathizing with all the hardships she has to endure because she is black (O’Connor 1023). Julian’s mother admits that she believes blacks were better off as slaves and that “they should rise, yes, but on their own side of the fence” (O’Connor 1018). She exhibits the philosophy of “separate but equal.” This attitude might place her in the racist category, but there
Brainwashed by society’s standards and demeaned by the white race, the black population struggles to fit the stereotypical image of perfection. Pauline Breedlove, Pecola’s mother, gets caught up in leading her fantasy life. She envisions her ideal universe filled with “beauty, order, cleanliness, and praise” (127). Mrs. Breedlove uses her job as a housemaid to surround herself in the accepted world of whites. After being suffocated by the images of this absolute world, Mrs. Breedlove strives to acquire the white’s life style.
As they were on their way to find a better way of living they came across an old woman who was homeless and had lice in her hair. She then asked the first sister Camille to give her some bread, give her some water and comb her hair, then to go into her ruined home and take the rocks that were saying don’t take me. The old said to her that her reward will be like her nature. The next day the younger sister came across the old woman who then asked Paula to do the same but Paula refused to give her some bread, water and to comb her. When sent into the house she scorned the house and took the stones that were saying take me again disobeying the woman’s orders.
use of language as a power for women the novel the color purple promote the rights of black women and give the voice to share their sufferings and opperession which they were facing in their homes and in the society. The color purple show the patriarchal and stereotypical influence through the characters. This novel show the dominancy of men over women, difference in the rights of men and women. The characters are the mirrors of the society which show the supperession and and anguish of women. The novel supports the black women and give them the voice to speak for their selves.
After she denied Tita and her love, Pedro’s marriage she gave the chance pour man to marry Rosaura, thus breaking Tita’s heart. However, her cruelty is reinforced by forcing Tita to cook the food for this sudden wedding. "I won't have disobedience," she tells her daughter "not am I going to let you ruin your sister's wedding, with you acting like a victim. You're in charge of all the preparations starting now, and don't ever let me catch you with a single tear on your long face, do you hear?" Tita suffered as a victim under her mother’s hand which looks kind of male brutality.