Prejudice In Literature Essay Example For Students

Prejudice In Literature Essay Toni Morrisons, The Bluest Eye, Alice Walkers , The Color Purple , andRichard Wrights autobiography , Black Boy , all represent prejudicy . Thepreceding novels show the characters were typical victims, not understading thedivision of power amongst races. The Bluest Eye , a heart breaking story of alittle back girl living in Lorain, Ohio during the 1930s, manifest thelonging of Pecola Breedloves obsession for love. In order to achieve love shewould have to deny herself of her true identity and surrender to what is thoughtto be beautiful and superior: little white girls gifted with blond hairand blue eyes. The novel procalaims the nations love for little white girls. Sadly, Pecola wishes every night to abolish her ugliness: her blackness. If shecould only become beautiful she would be loved , rather then become thesubject of hatred ranging fom people like her mother tro her teachers to herclassmates. Recounting the story of a black girls hardships in the worldof prejudice, Alice Walkers , The Color Purple presents a moving story oflove, ill-treatment, and growth. Celie, the main character, advances towardinner growth changing from a abused and submissive wife to an independent andconfident black women. The story is written in Celies journal addressed toGod. This is because the only person she thinks she can trust is God I with hersecrets. From Celies journal the reader finds out about other characters inthe novel such as Alfonso, Mr._____, Shug, Nettie, and Harpo. The theme of thenovel is straightforward and simple. Like many of the other novels devoted tothe mistreatment of blacks and black women especially. Much of the novel reflectpoints in th e authors life. The novel is derived from Alice Walkers ownpersonal experience, growing up in the rural south as an abused and uneducatedchild. Black Boy is an autobiography about Richard Wright. He was born in therural Mississippi, the grandson of slaves. Richard Wright overcame every socialobstacle including poverty, racism and limited education to achieve theregonition as the creator of Americas most powerful literature. Black Boy,Richard Wrights autobiography, covers his childhood and early adulthood. Itopens with four-year-old Richards rebellion against authority. In order tooccupy his time Richard accidently burns down his grandfathers house. My ideawas growing. Now I was wondering how the long fluffy curatians would look if Iheld the burning straws under them( pg 11). All throughout the entire novelRichard has some type of hunger. His hunger gets him into trouble. At the time,Richard was and resentful of his mothers command of silence. After his motherdetermined that he was u nharmed, she beat him so badly that he lostconsciousness. When Richard and his brother were very young, Nathan Wright,their father, a sharecropper , abandoned the family, plunging them into poverty. Richards constant hunger made him extremely bitter toward his father. Over thenext few years, Ella, Richards mother, would desperately attempt to feed,clothe, and shelter her children. Her long hours of work often meant leaving herchildren with little supervision. When Richard was six years old, he beganbegging drinks in a nearby saloon where the customers plied him with nickels ifhe would repeat various curse words and offensive phrases. When beatingsdidnt work helpfully with his growing obsession with alcohol, Ella engagedthe babysitting services of an older black woman in the neighborhood who watchedevery move. Ella moved in with her sister, Maggie, and Maggies husband, SilasHoskins. Hoskins was the owner of a successful saloon, so there was always morethan enough food to eat. Nevertheless, Richard was unable to lose the fear thathis hunger would return anew, so he hoarded food all over the house. Presence of angels EssayWithout the setting it would be doubtful for the plot in the novel to takeplace. All of the novels portray prejudicy toward the characters. The theme ofthe Color purple is straightforward and simple. Like many other novels devotedto the mistreatment of blacks and black women espescially, The color purple isdedicated to black womens rights. Much of the narrative in Walkers novel isderived from her own experience, growing up in the rural south as an abused anduneducated child. Richard seems to be a mere reflection to Alice Walker, in hisautobiography, Black Boy. Similarly to Richard and Alice Walker, Pecola is alittle black girl who is also abused. Pecolas dreams represented the allAmerican dream. In Pecolas eyes hiteness represents beauty, middle-classaffluence, popularity, and happiness. Throughout the novel, lines from Dick andJane preface several chapters. The perfect white world of the reading contrastssharply with the poverty and suffering of the black c haracters in the novel. Apattern of rebellion and punishment last all throughout Black Boy. Aftersearching and searching Richard refused to give up his individuality to provehis loyalty to himself and others. He decide, as he always had, to go his ownway. The characters in The Bluest Eye, Black Boy, and The Color Purple arevictims of social obstacles such as being the vistims of racism, poverty andpoor education. The characters deal with their obstacles differently. Pecolahides away wishing everyday to terminate her blackness. Soon later, due toherself and people around, she goes mad thinking she is actually gifted withblue eyes more beautiful than anyone elses. Celia stays a submissive wife untilShug comes along to boost her self-esteem to where it has never gone before. Atfirst Richard , in Black Boy, does not understand any of his obstacles. Therefore that was his hunger to go searching for more knowledge.