Mildred shows the unpleasant incident where the blacks were splashed with the dirty waters, by the white school bus. Mildred described the thought Cassie had about the way they were treated, ‘ we consequently found ourselves comical objects to cruel eyes that gave no thought to our misery.’ Here we are shown the feelings of Cassie as a result of the way she was treated. By using the word ‘comical’ the reader sees how the youth saw themselves being treated as ‘objects’, which were used to play with and make people laugh. Here one sees that the blacks are being used as dirt, with no value. The main reason for the youth being treated in such a horrific way by the white race is because the majority of the whites shared the same view about the blacks. They were also seen as the foundation of other people’s problems as seen later in the novel, when the Logan’s boycott the Wallace’s, it affects them financially.
Mildred has shown the reader the way the black children had to travel to school, by walking for a long period of time. For those living on the Montier Plantation, travelling to school was a great hardship, as they didn’t have the aid of a school bus. This was due to the counties government being white, they were the ones in authority and it was their choice to provide whom they wanted with certain facilities. This is a form of prejudice Mildred has shown through the way the blacks had to strive to gain education, and didn’t take it for granted.
Both blacks and whites should have been given equal rights to opportunities in life, although this wouldn’t have happened in reality at the time. This was due to the whites having hatred for the black race embedded within them, which made them more inclined to doing wrong towards the blacks. From the way the whites deprive the blacks from basic necessities to education, shows how they had felt they were in need of showing the black youth what they were seen as, in the eyes of the whites. Prejudice in this case, has been effectively shown by the way the whites were given a bus, whereas the blacks were deprived of such transport.
Mildred shows a lot of emphasis on how Miss Crocker would order the students to repeat after her the way in which they would take care of their books, ‘ WE PROMISE TO TAKE CARE OF OUR NEW BOOKS!’ The word ‘new’ being used is rather ironical as the books weren’t in perfect condition; rather they were described as being badly dilapidated. The fact that Mildred stated these words in capital letters makes them stand out. As the students repeat the way they would keep their books in a good state, shows that there must be a reason behind it. This was unusual of them to receive books, as they wouldn’t normally get them, as theirs wasn’t a school of the white race. Here we see discrimination along with prejudice, which shows how the authorities prefer the whites to the blacks. Mildred uses different forms of prejudice in a similar way to portray it, this gives the reader greater insight because they see prejudice taking place in things to do with school, however, they are shown in not only one incident, rather in various ones.
When Little man and Cassie had returned the books to Miss Crocker, Mildred is showing the way that the youth had a background where they were aware of present day hatred towards them which was a result of the upbringing the youth had as they had seen various incidents take place as a result of the hatred the whites had for the opposing race, such as, the physical state of Mr Berry. This suggests that prejudice was an issue that had a great impact on the black race. Here the author is trying to portray prejudice as an issue seen throughout people in 1930s Mississippi, and it was an issue that affected both the young and older generation.
Mildred uses descriptive phrases in order to clearly portray how a black youth, Little Man, had responded and reacted once he saw how the books given to them contained a table, where the black race was categorised as very poor. To create an atmosphere of rage and shock in Little Man’s character he was described as becoming quite aggressive as he, ‘Sprung from his chair like a wounded animal, flinging the book onto the floor and stomping madly upon it.’ By using such a comparison, a human to an animal (personification), the reader comprehends how Little Man had reacted in an inhumane manner once he saw the books on the table. Through using a black youth’s reaction once seeing his race being categorised as very poor, the reader becomes aware of the youth’s knowledge of how they were seen by the society in the 1930’s Mississippi. By being shown such an incident where prejudice was interlinked with education, Mildred’s showing how the authorities would relate prejudice into sources that the youth would use, such as the books, so they would become aware of what the whites thought of them.
An incident I find as being unjust is about Mr Morrison who ends up losing his job due to him getting involved in a fight. Although it was both, blacks and whites involved in the fight, the whites weren’t fired. As Mildred shows the answer Mr Morrison gives when asked if the rest of them were fired – ‘they was white.’ Here we see that the black race weren’t given equal opportunities in jobs as well as education because of the idea of blacks being inferior, which was shared amongst the white race.
The way in which the whites would enjoy starting trouble with the black race for no apparent reason shows the hatred within them, and how they would find any opportunity to release anger and take revenge. An example of this is how Mr Berry had been burnt. The main reason behind this was due to him being seen as a black man, with a different colour to the whites. Mildred Taylor portrays prejudice in this incident at the time when Henrietta goes to the sheriff to report the incident, yet he didn’t do anything about it apart from accusing her of lying and telling her to return back home. Here we see how although this incident resulted in a death, nothing was done about it as ‘a black man’s life ain’t worth the life of a cowfly down here.’ This was said by Uncle Hammer which shows the basic idea that was embedded within all the whites.
The police of Mississippi in the 1930s were white therefore, no justice was apparent as they were the ones in authority and it would be up to them to relieve all conflicts that were to arise at the time. Mildred is conveying the fact that the police wouldn’t bring about justice, as they would be sharing the same views as the majority of the whites who were the ones who had the upper hand. The law being present at the time yet only aiding the white race is seen as being rather ironical as justice wasn’t apparent. By being told that the police are whites, the reader realises that in order to overcome prejudice, those in authority must act in a fair manner and do what is right morally not what pleases others in the society you are in.
The way the whites were treated when accused of lying wasn’t just as it wasn’t done on an equal basis. As we see when R.W and Melvin lied about T.J being the one going to Mercantile, nothing was done about it. However, when Mr Tatum called Mr Barnett a liar, revenge was taken and they went beyond limits. Here Mildred is effectively portraying prejudice by showing a comparison between how blacks and white would be treated once they had done wrong.
In order for Mildred to give the readers insight and detail of how Mr Berry was punished, she used effective words such as ‘poured the blackest tar they could find all over him.’ By using an exact description of how he was punished, the reader sees how the whites would treat them; it also makes the reader feel sympathy for the black race. Mildred shows the way they took revenge in a way that would help the reader to see that the whites had wanted to make sure that the revenge taken was taken as far as possible.
‘Tarred and feathered him!’ That was the description given of how they took revenge. It creates an image in the reader’s mind of how he was treated. Mildred uses imagery in order to portray prejudice in a manner that is easily understood by the reader, in order for them to be able to differentiate the punishment of blacks and whites and the way in which it was done.
As Taylor writes about the incident at Strawberry we are shown how the white people looked down upon the blacks and saw them as inferior. When Mr Barnett was called by a white woman, he responded to her call by saying ‘just them,’ he was referring to the T.J, Cassie and Stacey as being the ones he was serving at the time. He didn’t describe them as ‘other customers’. Instead Mildred shows a sense of discrimination by using the word ‘just’ that seems as though they are of no value. Here we see prejudice being portrayed through Mr Barnett’s actions and words as he thinks he can give preference to the whites. Although he would have been trading a lot more, which would have been of benefit to him, he looked more upon a person’s race and treated them accordingly. Here Mildred is showing that although Mr Barnett could have benefited from the money he would have received, he felt more strongly about fitting in with the view the majority of the whites has. This idea was one that involved prejudice, as they didn’t judge the blacks by their character, rather by their skin colour.
Instead of Mildred Taylor going straight into Mr Berry’s state and describing him, she uses a lot of description such as imagery, to create a gloomy atmosphere that prepares the reader for seeing something abnormal. By using phrases such as ‘she went to the blackest corner…the interior was dark, lit only by the narrow slat of gray daylight allowed on by the open door,’ the reader prepares himself or herself to expect a sight, which isn’t very pleasant. Here the author has created an atmosphere not usually apparent in a house, however, here she did it for a purpose. As well as preparing the reader for a hideous sight, she also did so in order for the reader to see how the consequences of prejudice would lead to one’s life and surrounding full of obscurity and make it seem as though there’s no hope for equality between the two races. Mildred goes onto describe the state he was in, ‘ he can’t speak no more…’ This was the result of the Wallace’s actions towards Mr Berry. The Wallaces are a family who feel strongly for their race and would do whatever they could, whenever they could to cause harm to the blacks.
These fixed thoughts of the whites being of better value in the Wallace’s eyes may be the outcome of the past events that took place such as the Wall Street crash. The Wallaces felt the blacks were to be blamed. Due to this idea the Wallaces had, we see why they would attack or take revenge at any opportunity they got. As the Wallaces did so whenever possible, it had made others in the community feel stronger about their race, and this is what lead them all to share the same beliefs of the black race being mediocre.
In order for the impacts and results of prejudice to be shown in an effective manner, Taylor used the description of Mr Berry’s appearance. ‘ The face had no nose, and the head no hair.’ His features had been shattered due to the collective belief amongst all the whites and the events that took place in the past which were blamed on the black race. Mildred didn’t stop at those descriptions, rather she went on to show how the features of Mr Berry weren’t apparent or easily seen by ones eye. ‘ As the wheezing sound echoed from the opening that was a mouth,’ by the way this description has been phrased the reader realises that the face had the normal features, yet due to him being burnt to the highest degree, one wouldn’t be able to differentiate between each feature.
Mildred describes the mouth as ‘ the opening that was a mouth’ from this, the reader is able to imagine how the face was still apparent yet the mouth couldn’t be seen clearly as it looked like an ‘opening’. She also uses a simile here, ‘ the lips were wizened black, like charcoal.’ The use of the simile in such context makes it have more of an effect on the reader as it brings about a description that helps the reader to see how the lips were similar to charcoal. This in turn makes the reader aware of how prejudice brought about not only verbal abuse but also physical, which would lead to one having distorted features. The author giving a description of Mr Berry after he was attacked shows what prejudice had in store for the black race.
Taylor presents a contrast between the Averys and Logans by showing how the Logans were a very close family and were always feeling stalwartly towards all members of their family, yet the Averys were a different family as they weren’t a unit, rather they were broken up – as we see TJ’s father had given up on him and hence the love they once had for each other had faded. However, Taylor then presents the way in which the two families having a contrast still had the same thoughts about defending their race and standing up to the truth as we see both the families boycotted the Wallaces for the same reason.
Due to the prejudice being apparent and having an affect on the black race, the blacks were willing to boycott such people of the opposing race, in order for them to show how they weren’t agreeing to their actions. The Logans’ boycott the Wallaces and go to Vicksburg as the Wallaces’ actions against the blacks were having an impact on their daily lives. Although the journey to Vicksburg was ‘ an overnight journey in a wagon down there and back,’ the determination the Logans’ had, drove them on. They were willing to stand up for what’s right although that may have meant encountering hardships, such as the long journey. By being told how far Vicksburg was and yet the Logans still shopped there, the reader sees that the prejudice at the time was affecting the blacks and seeing as they couldn’t speak out against the blacks, their actions would still show their disagreement towards prejudice. From this we see that prejudice wasn’t an issue which was easily overcome, rather it was one which was firmly embedded within the majority of the whites, and therefore they had the upper hand and had literally taken over all aspects in the lives of the blacks as they made them encounter hardships in whatever way possible.
Mildred has used prejudice as an issue that relates all the whites to one another, both young and old. Prejudice is seen in the Wallaces and it is also seen in the youth of the white race. The way in which a young white child Miss Lillian Jean, expects Cassie to ‘get down in the road,’ shows how the prejudice was also seen in the white youth, which suggests that the white families had seen it as an important issue which the youth should also be aware of and engage themselves in, as they are the so called superior race. The fact that Lillian orders Cassie to get down to her on the road is what shows that the blacks were seen as inferior. Although Cassie and Lillian Jean were of near enough the same age, that didn’t matter. Lillian Jean was determined to stand up for herself as she had such confidence in her youth, which suggests that she and the other whites were all sharing a definite belief against the blacks no matter who it was, or whatever the age.
Through Lillian Jeans’s speech, we see that prejudice and its reasoning are all embedded not only in the older generation of whites but also in the youth. From this incident we see that the white youth expected Cassie to respect her. If this was the case then it should have worked both ways and thus Lillian Jean should have also respected Cassie. Yet, this wouldn’t be the case as the whites had all taught their children from a very young age that they were better than the blacks and therefore all whites would look down upon the blacks. Mildred is showing how prejudice was part of the whites’ beliefs and it had become like second nature. Prejudice beliefs being seen in the youth suggests that the next generations would also have the same beliefs, and the chain would continue.
Mildred Taylor portrays prejudice as being the norm at the time due to the majority of the white race seeing racial differences between the blacks and the whites. Mildred shows Mama speaking to Cassie about the past and how all the past beliefs are reflecting on the community at the time. The fact that people in the past would say slavery was right were those who benefited from it. The reason for prejudice being apparent is seen in the actions and thoughts of the past.
Prejudice was seen in the way that the normal idea put forward when one was to cross Soldiers Bridge was that one vehicle would cross it at a time. Yet, this wasn’t always the case, as when the Logan’s were on the bridge the white people would also come onto the bridge, which made the Logan’s have to leave. This happened only because the whites knew they would be given the way to pass once they got on it, because they were the ones who were to be given the way as they were of a higher rank in society.
After presenting the majority of the whites who oppose the blacks, the author shows the character Jeremy Simms, who is Lilian Jean’s younger brother. Jeremy being white has the belief that equality should be widespread and prejudice and racial discrimination shouldn’t exist. He isn’t racist; although everyone else in his family opposes the blacks his idea of the black race is the total opposite of the way in which his family think of them. From seeing such a character the reader is able to comprehend that in the future, prejudice may overthrow justice as the majority of the white race have a lot of prejudice within them and they outnumber those who sympathise with the blacks. Here we see that prejudice is an issue that would be hard to overcome.
Mildred shows that prejudice is an issue that doesn’t only affect the blacks – however, it is also a threat to those who associate with the black race or sympathise with them in anyway. As we are told that the whites would laugh at Jeremy when he would walk with Cassie. This suggests that during the 1930s Mississippi, people of the white race would see others who associate with the blacks as being unusual. This is because prejudice was supposed to be the issue that links all the whites to one another. The main reason as to why people laughed at Jeremy was because all whites had prejudice within them, yet Jeremy had the total opposite.
Alongside Jeremy, Mr Jamison is another man of white race who stands up for justice. This is clearly apparent when Mr Jamison being aware of Papa starting the fire, doesn’t announce it to others rather he keeps it to himself as he believes the hanging of TJ shouldn’t take place as it’s unjust. Here we see that Mildred is showing that although the majority of the whites had prejudice deeply entrenched within them, it wasn’t the case for the whole of the race. Therefore, there was slight hope for it being extinguished in the future.
Papa tells Cassie that ‘ Lillian Jean probably won’t be the last person to treat you this way.’ The main reason he said that was because he knew that all the whites shared the same principle when it came to prejudice and therefore Cassie should be able to stand up to a person who may act in a similar way to Lillian Jean. Through Papa saying this, the reader becomes aware of the way many white people thought and how it was all interlinked.
The black race didn’t have the ability to speak out against the whites, even if it was the truth. Mildred shows a rather interesting example in this case when Mama is teaching the real facts of slavery and Kalleb Wallace and Harlan Granger appear. Through this incident, Mama loses her job. By seeing the way the school boards opposed the facts of slavery, one sees how they are rather one sided and don’t want to accept the truth. We could class them as being arrogant as they stick to their own opinion, and aren’t willing to accept the truth. This suggests that the prejudice beliefs they have; effect their way of thinking. The main significance of showing such an issue in the novel is so that the readers are made aware of how the white race would find any reason so they could take away what the black race had.
Mildred has shown how the Logan’s don’t let themselves be trodden upon by others.
As Papa teaches Cassie how they are ‘like it’-he’s referring to the fig tree that is continuously growing. The comparison of them to the fig tree is a personification used so that the reader is able to comprehend this issue much more simply. Here we see that the Logan’s are firm and stable and wouldn’t allow them to be trodden on due to the prejudice present in the 1930s. From this we see that although prejudice existed in the 1930s, not all blacks would let it ruin their lives. Taylor is showing that prejudice is widespread yet families who have a firm belief in their race and feel strongly for it can overcome it. Prejudice has been portrayed as something that has an easy flow, however one can himself create barriers in order to prevent it from harming them.
The hanging of TJ was about to go ahead, however seeing as Papa knew it was to be carried out shortly, he himself went and started a fire on the cotton field as he knew that was the ultimate way to success in postponing the hanging. Once the two races had noticed the fire they both went forth to stop it as the cotton was of great value to them. The two races came together to put out the fire started by Papa so that T.J’s hanging may be postponed if not then called off. The way in which this was done was a rather peculiar manner. As Mildred describes the people helping as though they were ‘sleepwalking’. She used the term ‘sleepwalking’ as the two races hadn’t ever worked together and at this time they were all attracted to one cause without thinking deeply about what they were about to do. The main reason they did help in extinguishing the fire was incase it got to any of their belongings or land. The main significance in showing the way that the two races come together in order to put out the fire is a symbol of hope for the future, as they stand side by side without showing the hatred they have and this may in the future be turned back to and looked at as an incident where hatred, physical and verbal abuse wasn’t present. I think that the main reason for which Mildred added such an event was in order for it to symbolize hope for the future.
Overall, I believe Mildred Taylor has overcome her aim of effectively portraying prejudice during the 1930’s Mississippi in the novel. The way in which Taylor uses language and descriptive phrases alongside accounts of racially motivated incidents, allows the reader to comprehend the prejudice apparent at the time and its inevitable consequences in an articulate manner.