“The Lesson” by Toni Bambara, was a fascinating piece. It’s told in first person; someone who you think you know, but slowly find out is not at all who you think they are. The story unfolds as a group of children, pushed off on an eccentric black woman, go to a toy store in a rich part of New York. F.A.O Schwarz, a large and expensive store, captures the wildest fantasies of these children, but not before their hesitation of actually going in almost overwhelms them. These children, who we conclude are neither black nor white – distrust and have contempt for a society they do not get to share in. The children spot a sailboat in the window of the store, which costs $1195. They begin to think of how they would like to have a boat like this. But they come to conclusion that “white folks crazy.” (pg. 643/7) The children look around the store, but hardly touch or play with anything. They somehow feel unworthy of being in this place. They leave and head back to their part of town, stopping at their original departure point for an object lesson.
Sylvia’s (the narrator) best friend, Sugar asks the best question, “I don’t think all of us here put together eat in a year what that sailboat costs.” (pg. 647) The reply that she gets from her teacher compares the cost of the sailboat to the cost of feeding a family of six or seven. They understand that it really says something about a society where the poor never really have a fair chance at achieving what is considered the pinnacle in society. Sylvia presses Sugar to shut up and they all decide to spend the $4 on ice cream sodas and such. They run off and Sylvia decides to go her own way and think about what has happened. I would imagine that her place in society, as much as she lives in it, is not fixed. It can be moved and be shaped by what she does or does not do, in the future. Perhaps that is the lesson she learned. She has a choice and she can decide to be different.
“The Loudest Voice” by Grace Paley was my favorite. Perhaps it was because this kid with the vibrant spirit was determined to be the one seen. Shirley’s mother however differed on this point. Shirley is a loud child whose voice is loud and confident. She is Jewish, as is her family, and is asked to be in the Christmas play at her school. Her mother, not wanting any part of this Christmas celebration, urged her not to do it. Her husband put it to her frankly, she was in America. The other countries they could have chosen would have had far worse implications for them, than Shirley being in a Christmas play. Some of the other Jewish families did not allow their children to participate in the play. Shirley’s father was proud of the fact that she was able to be recognized, “Does it hurt Shirley to learn to speak up? It does not. So maybe someday she won’t live between the kitchen and the shop. She’s not a fool.” (pg. 651)
Shirley’s father, Misha, wanted his daughter to have a better life than they did. If that meant assimilating another culture or participating in their world, then that is what it would take. He did not want Shirley to not be able to survive in this new place, a place he and his wife were alien to. Shirley, with her loud and triumphant voice did the play and made her father proud. For a Jewish girl, in a world that she was just beginning to understand, she certainly was making herself known. She was able to assimilate into the American culture, if not by practicing it – at least participating in it.
These stories reflect on how people who identify with a particular culture try to make the transition into American culture. They try to act the part, so that they fit in. Some do this better than others. Some don’t want to do it at all, but find it necessary if they want to continue to live or to make a better life then they have experienced elsewhere. “Prisons of Silence” showed that even though we accepted members of country to live with us, to be one of us, our fears can consume us and make us turn our backs on the very people we try to help. It shows how important it is to speak up and not let fear and hatred overtake who we are. “The Lesson” allows us to see the other side of the fence, the people who are only across town, but as far as we are concerned could live in a third world country, for as much as we think or have contact with them. This makes a definite impact on how they see their place in society. “The Loudest Voice” gives us the understanding that no matter who were, you can always keep that identity and add your new experiences in American society to it and become a much richer human being.
It’s a personal decision to participate in American Society, one that has its ups and downs. It can be a personal journey that takes you to unexpected places. It forces you to accept new ideas and new ways of doing things. This is a hard transition for many to make. Some never do. No matter where a person fits in, there are always new areas to explore.
