Monsieur and Madame Valmondé took in orphan Desiree and instantly and eternally cared for her as if she were their own child. "My own Désirée: Come home to Valmondé; back to your mother who loves you, Come with your child (25)." Even though Desiree’s child was a fraction African American and was socially unaccepted by the aristocrats and plantation owners in their society, Madam Valmondé’s compassion outweighed her pride/judgment and she beckoned them both come back to her safe, loving embrace. To unconditionally love someone you must forever be forgiving and supportive and Madam proves just that. In Madam Valmondé eye’s, “ Désirée had been sent to her by a beneficent Providence to be the child of her affection.
Polly, an outspoken indentured white girl, proves not to be as hateful as she'd first seemed upon Amari's arrival, and the plantation owner's wife, despite her trappings of luxury and demons of her own, is kind to Amari. But these small comforts can't relieve Amari's feelings of hopelessness and despair. With strength and dignity, Amari first learns to survive, then yearns to escape to a most unlikely destination. When the opportunity to escape presents itself, Amari and Polly decide to work together to find the thing they both want most--freedom. Decorated with vibrant characters--Teenie, the tiny slave woman who cooks much more than food, her son Tidbit and his dog Hushpuppy who become victims of vicious cruelty, the mysterious and kindly Mrs. Derby, and many others--the complicated inter-relationships of those who live together on the plantation are explored with sometimes shocking developments.
Through this adversity however, Mrs. Duvitch exemplifies extreme character and fearlessness – qualities which eventually change the public’s perception of her. Mrs. Duvitch is a fearless nurse whose gift for healing further integrated her into the surrounding society. It is stated on page 15 in the text that: “The community presently had reason to be grateful for Mrs. Duvitch’s presence. It turned out that she had a great gift for nursing and was often counted on in severe illness, never wavering.” Acceptance by those around you is the true source of freedom, and as the individual members of Mrs. Duvitch’s community recess from judgment they learn about her skill and gentle nature signifying the positive impact she will make on their lives both as a nurse and a friend. Rooting from her shyness, Mrs. Duvitch’s delicacy and grace was apparent in both conversation and ailment.
She was like a slave serving the master. A slave looked up to the master as lord, followed instructions and could not question the authority of the master, even if it was against the slave’s choice. Women, also, were married in old school days for domestic reasons. Men were considered superior and the breadwinner of the family while the women were looked down upon as a helper not a helpmate. Although women today do household chores, in the old days it was a command from the husband and a demand from the society.
The Classic Slave Narratives Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass 1. Frederick Douglass spoke of his mistress as a “kind and tenderhearted woman” (page 367). She would always care for the slaves when they were hurt, hungry, cold, or in need of anything. “There was no sorrow or suffering for which she had not a tear. She had bread for the hungry, clothes for the naked, and comfort for every mourner that came within her reach” (page 367).
Alice Walker has associated the qualities of goodness and the sense of emancipation together, which I feel works well to convey the message that despite all the abuse and brutality Celie remains resilient and is rewarded with the freedom of her Spirit. She was able to hold on to her inherent power and strength of character and by the end of the story she is the victor. Celie finds no sexual pleasure or satisfaction in her marriage to Mr. ___. When Celie becomes aware of Shug in a photograph (Letter 6), she says, `Shug Avery was a woman’. The most beautiful woman I ever saw.
Though it was well known that Truth could neither read nor write, she overcame such limitations by becoming a powerfully adept activist fighting racial discrimination, and persuasively championing for blacks' rights to vote. Additionally, being a fervent Christian, Truth gained oration experience through her predilection for preaching. Combined with her imposing, nearly Amazonian frame, melodious voice and notorious love for singing, Truth was often seen by white reformers as being "natural,
Throughout the book, far from allowing himself to be exploited, Tom stands up for his beliefs and is grudgingly admired even by his enemies * Eliza: A slave, she escapes to the North with her five-year old son Harry after he is sold to Mr. Haley. She is deeply pious but also brave and fiercely protective of her son. She eventually makes it to Canada with her husband and son, in part due to her steely resolve and her commitment to her faith. * Eva: St. Clare and Marie’s angelic daughter. Eva is presented as an absolutely perfect child—a completely moral being and an unimpeachable Christian.
Beatrice is a gentle lady who treats even the poisonous of plants with tenderness. When Giovanni comes along and into Beatrice’s life, she falls in love with him; with a genuine love that has no conditions or demands. With a poisonous touch that Beatrice carried with her, she wouldn’t allow for Giovanni to come close to her for his protection because she loved and cared about him. After Giovanni had spent so much time around Beatrice in the garden, he too, ended up becoming poisonous. After realizing that Giovanni had caught the poison, Baglioni reveals an antidote to become normal again.
The admiration everyone held for the garden shows what women were capable of doing at those time—that they never gave up. Another example where Walker praises women is in the essay "Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is the Self." In this beautiful piece of writing, she describes a childhood experience she had when her brother shot her with a BB gun and wounded her eye; this bought down her self-esteem and destroyed her confidence. At the end, however, Walker opens up her eyes and sees that she truly is beautiful no matter what. Her purpose is to show that every woman is beautiful