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Introduction

What does the novel gain by the use of Cassie as the narrator? Cassie is an intelligent, outspoken, self-confident, and independent young girl who is also the narrator of the novel. Roll of thunder, hear my cry, is a coming of the age story for Cassie as she awakens to the true extent of r****m in the south over the course of her tenth year. As she narrates the events, this leads her to mature and grow up. There are quite a few factors, which need to be examined to respond to the above question. By looking through the eyes of a child, we get a fresh prospective on the way that the society of Mississippi works. Cassie doesn't have any assumed knowledge and so the readers can ask 'why' with her. Due to her ignorance, she asks a lot of questions and so the readers identify with her, therefore there is more empathy. ...read more.

Middle

However it is mainly the children who found it more difficult to understand 'the way of things' as Mama explains to Cassie that 'things are not always we would have them to be' even though 'it aint fair'. Adults in the novel tend to be more bias than children. Cassie is shown to like Jeremy to a certain extent for who he is and not just for the colour of his skin. However, someone like Uncle Hammer would probably not take to being friends with him and this is proven when he tells Mr Logan 'he looks like a Simms' and when he finds out its Jeremy he asks 'then what the devil-'. To get a balanced view, we must look now look at the disadvantages to Cassie's narrating. Although she isn't that bias with Jeremy, she is shown to be bias towards TJ. ...read more.

Conclusion

It seems unnatural the way she eavesdrops and so is it is unrealistic as she always happens to be at the right place at the right time. The readers also learns that Children don't play the largest part in the racial discrimination, adults do and so the adults points of views and feelings aren't seen much in the novel Although it is quite unusual in novels to have child narrators, Cassie is only ten years olds and narrates the whole story successfully. By the end of the novel, and the end of the year she has grown up and learnt a lot through all the episodes she has narrated. Although, Cassie's narrating has its bad points, the advantages override them. One of the Mildred Taylor's aims in writing 'Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry' was to provide children with a sense of identity and history and by using Cassie she has achieved this and made clear that it is not only adults who suffer but children too. Howra Al-Khoei Roll Of Thunder, Hear My Cry 1 English Literature ...read more.

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