African Americans - Essay Example

Luyu Wang Kimberly Escamilla English 110 03 March African Americans Different life experiences shape perceptions and lead to loss of innocence at varying ages. One of the most prevalent themes in the short story ‘Every Tongue Shall Confess’ and ‘Drinking Coffee Elsewhere’ is change or self-identification. In both stories, the main character, young women of African American origin, are faced with a number of challenges and situations which lead them to a kind of general realization regarding issues like race, religion and life in general. Additionally, as one reads the short stories, from the beginning till the end, the reader is able to observe a kind of metamorphosis in their thinking, perceptions and even their mannerisms. Simply, the central characters lose their innocence in a number of different ways and discover themselves courtesy of their unique life experiences. The independent mindedness of the central characters (Dina and Sister Clareese) amidst their surroundings, is proof of their personal growth. In the short story “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere”, Dina is an African American student admitted to the Yale University, which by itself is a great achievement considering her neglected upbringing. Her metamorphosis is evident from the way she is portrayed in the beginning of the story as a somewhat timid character, while towards the end of the story, she is characterized as an independent minded person who is willing to speak her mind freely. Initially, even though life seems to be going well for her, she is battling to cope with her white elitist environment as a young African American. The story is able to highlight Dina’s ongoing struggles and her self-discovery process. It is seen how throughout the story, Dina has to put up a fight to maintain her integrity in the face of racial discrimination and finding a name for herself. In a world where racial equality is unheard of, she still manages to admit herself into Yale. Additionally, towards the end, she even befriends Heidi, who is a white lesbian young woman. This is proof of her growth. The short story “Every Tongue Shall Confess”, also highlights the metamorphosis of another young African American woman known as Sister Clareese. Just like Dina, she is struggling with her own life experiences which eventually shape the way that she perceives herself and others. Sister Clareese is not only a devout member of her Pentecostal Church, but she is also a nurse which makes her stand out above the ordinary women in her community. However, beneath her devoted and very caring nature, she is struggling with trust issues brought by an earlier sexual abuse by Deacon McCreedy, which marks the point where she loses her innocence and shapes the way that she starts perceiving things. However, towards the end, a kind of change is seen, evidenced by her willingness to forgive the deacon by rationalizing his behavior as being brought by his bachelorhood. Both women make many conscious efforts to distance themselves from the tormenting experiences of their lives Despite her academic achievements, the time finally arrives when Dina caves in to her emotions in the story. Her sufferings after encapsulating so much rebellious rage for such a long time, finally transform into an uncontrollable outburst of emotion. This is because after being made to feel so bad for such a long time, Dina jumps at the opportunity to do the same to others. During orientation games at Yale, she admits openly that she wants to be a revolver so she can revolt against racial discrimination. Her answer scares the authorities and they commit her to one year of psychiatric counseling. The concept of “otherness” is very evident in this story. Many sensitive issues are highlighted, from assimilation into antagonist cultures, to African American concerns, which are often misunderstood as cultural stereotypes. The story and its main character are actually based on exploring African Americans and their lives. It also aims to understand major concerns like why minorities have been misunderstood and why their lives are rife with endless personal struggles. Whites certainly appear to be more privileged than African Americans which creates resentful feelings in Dina and causes her to blurt a revenge seeking answer later. Dina says in the story, “until that moment I’d been good in all the ways that were meant to matter...Suddenly I was hard-bitten and recalcitrant, the kind of kid that took pleasure in sticking pins into cats” (Packer 126). This confession proves that after years of racial discrimination, she had been overcome by a desire to retaliate. In “Every Tongue Shall Confess”, it is expressed by the writer how Sister Clareese has to put up with the exhausting challenges of religious hypocrisy and sexual exploitation of her religious faith. From the story, we see how Sister Clareese is molested by one of the self-proclaimed holy men, Deacon McCreedy. This traumatic experience makes her hate hypocritical men like Deacon endlessly. Packer attempts to highlight the combustible nature of the younger generation of African Americans who easily rebel against the norms of society. Unless the racial stereotypes are effectively addressed, the damage inflicted will take a long time to be repaired. Moreover, such incidents may remain as permanent blots in the racial history of America. Both Dina and Sister Clareese are portraits of innocence, but the former suffers from the consequences of neglected upbringing among other disadvantages, while the latter is a victim of circumstances. Julie Myerson writes commenting on Packer’s main characters that “they’re grafting away on the edge, struggling to fit in, to decide or define for them who or what they are. They may be wayward but they are essentially good - honest and funny and scathing” (Myerson). In the story “Every Tongue shall confess”, Sister Clareese is willing to forgive Deacon even after suffering abuse at his hands which serves as a strange paradox of her characterization. This is because at one hand, she is candid enough to forgive Deacon for she understands “that an unmarried man might have needs” (Packer 32), but on the other hand, she also resents him for his act of ignoring her. This depiction of the personal boundaries versus religious dictions is cleverly articulated by Packer. Sister Clareese is clearly a religious woman and yet, she is willing to forgive those who trespass the moral boundaries. Both the collection’s title story and the other story showcase a world from the standpoint of a woman of color. By touching myriad problems which haunt the main characters on account of their African descent, these stories elucidate the churning African-American experiences. They also reflect Packer’s real-life experiences as an African American woman which she could not avoid. The stories deal with the coping strategies engineered by Dina and Sister Clareese to survive. Dina’s overall relationship with the society is her main problem. This is because assimilating into an antagonist culture for a woman of color is not a simple process. So, in the course of the story, she resigns to her fate and becomes cynical. She finds it difficult to trust anyone unconditionally which makes her suspicious about everything. As for Sister Clareese, trust issues emanate from her being sexually abused. Her innocence is challenged the demeaning experience. Both Dina and Sister Clareese attempt to counter their disadvantageous positions, but Packer describes how their ineffectiveness in challenging the odds shapes their lives consequently. This is proof of the fact that the agonies of living in a society where the marginalization of other races is common, are not conducive for the virtue of innocence to take root and flourish. The fire of revenge wins and controls minds of both main characters rendering them incapable of seeking peace with their inner worlds. This is why we see them getting overpowered by their desperate reactions at the most unexpected time. This shows the fragile manner in which their heads and hearts react. It also mirrors the heavy load of atrocities inflicted on the black race by white elitists. Works Cited Packer, ZZ. "Drinking Coffee Elsewhere." Drinking Coffee Elsewhere. New York: Riverhead Books, 2003. 117-147. Print. Packer, ZZ. "Every Tongue shall confess." Drinking Coffee Elsewhere. New York: Riverhead Books, 2003. 32-53. Print. Myerson, Julie. Review: Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by ZZ Packer; 6 March 2004. Web. 25 Feb Read More