Racial Discrimination in the Welcome Table by Alice Walker & Country Lovers by Nadine Gordimer - Essay Example

? Racial Discrimination In “The Welcome Table” by Alice Walker & “Country Lovers” by Nadine Gordimer Discrimination and prejudice along racial and ethnic lines is the concept common to the poem, “The Welcome Table” by Alice Walker and the story “Country Lovers” by Nadine Gordimer. They both have the lead characters or protagonists black women who are victims to partiality because of their black color. They endure extreme suffering and hardships throughout their lives and as they are being raised in a bigotry society, the context is more striking. There have been countless stories, poems, novels written on the issue of racial discrimination. Both these short stories reveal that how racial prejudices were so common during that time. They narrate first hand experiences of racial segregations and trials which the suppressed have to go through. It also reveals that other institutions such as religion, education, marriage are also influenced in a racist society and continue to strengthen the divide that is created. Both the stories date back to a time when there was an immense split between the mankind. It was the time of slavery and oppression. Skin color was so important and there was no justification as to why the white were the socially acceptable superior race and black were the social rejects and the outcasts. Black were labeled as the inferior, poor, dirty, ill mannered and associated with all kinds of ill acts like drugs, looting and plundering, rape etc. White were the masters, the supreme, the well mannered who treated the black as slaves. Moreover it strengthened and flourished the gender discrimination. The life of women became more miserable. Lives of black women were even more wretched and pitiful. Firstly they faced oppression in their circle because they were women and they were thought to be the weak. Secondly they countered tyranny because they were black women. They were given all kinds of menial work, they were physically and mentally tortured, they were forced to do exhausting chores etc. Such were the terrible times how women had spent their lives going through the racial discriminations. No kind of opposition was accepted and those who tried to raise their voice were brutally killed and were laid as an example for others to learn from. Hundreds of families and communities suffered torture and were victims of mass killings, brutality and viciousness. Once the liberation movements started, people started becoming aware of their civil rights and liberties. The suppressed masses were guided by strong and influential leaders who showed them the way to hope, light, peace and most of all equality. People like Martin Luther King instilled hope in the people. He showed them the way to end the trials and tribulations in their lives and fight for freedom and parity. He taught the people to fight for an egalitarian society where all kinds of racial, social differences were to be neglected and the black were equal to white in all aspects of life. (Mastin, 2010) Alice Walker, poet of “The Welcome Table” is an African American writer who has written several stories, novels and poems highlighting the difficulties in life of African America women. She suggests those ways of combating the racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination that go alongside them in the American lifestyle. She has also worked during the Civil Rights Movement. The author of “Country Lovers”, Gordimer is a South African writer and political activist. She has written on ethical and racial issues in her country and focused more on the apartheid. Taking this forward, this concern of apartheid is visible in this story as well. The main idea or the theme in any story or poem revolves around certain events and situations that relate to the theme. There is a broad idea which branches down into a number of other thoughts but these thoughts have a firm connection to the main branch which is the chief central idea. Hence together they make up a unique story. Discrimination along racial patterns is the key theme of the story and the poem but both of them have certain other smaller themes that relate to the most important one and shape them up. In “Country Lovers” the theme of racial discrimination is supported by the theme of love and compromises and difficulties associated with loving someone. These themes go hand in hand. This story was written during the time when Africa was facing the tormenting racial separations. Inter racial relations were strongly opposed and the white and black could not interact by any chance. On the other hand in the poem “The Welcome Table” racial prejudices go alongside religious symbolism. Through this concept the poet has highlighted the main theme of the story. Through symbolism she has pointed out how religious discrimination goes alongside racial biases. In the “Country Lovers” a black girl Thebedi and a white boy Paulus Eysendyck grow up and mature together and fall in love. Paulus’s father is a farm owner during the time of the apartheid and Thebedi’s father is a worker on his plantation. This shows the master and slave relationship between the black and white. During the time of the apartheid, interracial relations and associations were completely forbidden and Paulus and Thebedi knew that could not have any kind of relationship in front of the public. They played together while they were children, but as they reached in their teens they developed a sexual relationship. They possess affectionate feelings although they know that how the differences in their races cannot let them be together and their relationship is condemned. They continue to maintain an intimate and physical bond as they both grew up together. They noticed the physical transformations in each other’s bodies, and the mental changes they underwent. The story highlights the loss of purity and virtue. How they both had lost their innocence. (custodio) Later on Paulus moves abroad for studies but their meetings and relationship continue when he comes home for vacations. Their childhood love blossomed to adulthood admiration and lead to sexual curiosity. But the story takes a turn when Thebedi is married to a kindhearted black man, Njabulo while Paulus is away. However she is pregnant with Paulus’s child who does not know about her pregnancy. The reality is revealed when she gives birth to a light skinned baby boy, however Njabulo accepts the child and takes care of him. When Paulus gets to know about it, he gets panicky and visits Thebedi. He asks her to give the child to someone, or take her away to some other place as the skin color of the boy provided and evidence for the people about their sexual relationship. And at the end when nothing works out Paulus kills the child. This again shows how Thebedi being a woman is prejudiced and she has cannot stop Paulus from killing her child. Shes after all a black woman who has no say and has to see her child being killed by her white childhood lover. The overall writing style is powerful yet gloomy and mentions the separation of Paulus and Thebedi. The author has used a lot of imagery throughout the story. At that time, interracial romance was labeled as prohibited romance and was a social taboo. This love story shows the strength of the racial discrimination that how a mother could not protect her child from being killed because she was an oppressed black woman and however these differences were more important than love. It shows the failure of love and how vice and evil which were was the racial inequity, won over it. (Kenyon, 1989) With the same theme, the poem “The Welcome Table” is written. It is about a black old woman and through religious symbolism the story proceeds. Alice has made use of a lot of symbolism throughout the poem. She has used different adjectives and even names of the colors which in actual define the harsh realities and unfairness. This symbolism has added a lot of depth and intensity to the poem and makes the reader aware of the concentration of discrimination. In the story “Country Lovers” racial discrimination is shown in the social contrast, however in the poem “The Welcome Table” it is evident in the religion as well. A church is a sacred place for God’s worship where everyone can come for prayers. God has taught us to love all mankind and respect them their differences. As the old black woman who is described as the ‘poor grey Geogia earth’ enters the church she is looked down upon by the white people there. She is a faithful ‘black’ woman who enters the ‘white’ church for prayers. The poem starts with an old spiritual song, ‘sit at the welcome table’ and relates to the woman who wants to talk to Jesus and reveal the hardships she has been through in her life. The woman is not like the others out there, and in spite of that she continues to enter the church. This point again relating to the fact that religion teaches equality. The priest tells her that this church is not hers, as if she had some other ‘black or wrong’ Church to go to. She ignores them and takes a seat for prayers but she is shunned out of the church by the husbands of the white women sitting there who continue to force her to leave. Outside, she walks along the road singing a gloomy song and is astonished by the behavior of the people. At the end she sees a recognizable face coming down the road and she starts to smile and laugh nervously with delight. The identifiable face is of Jesus, who comes to her and says ‘follow me’ and they both walk away together. The poem shows the rewards that one gets after facing so many hardships and trials. It shows that the ones with strong beliefs are blessed by God and in God’s eyes all human race is equal. Both the texts revolve around the same theme and lesson. They highlight the fact how evil and vice flourishes inside the hearts of racist people. It also tells us that God had made every one equal and it lies on him to decide who is good or bad and this judgment is based on our deeds and intentions, not on our skin color or which race and ethnicity we belong to. Both the texts make us aware of the social injustices and harsh oppression the black women were subjected to throughout their lives from the time they were girls to the time they became old women. References: Walker, A. (1974). In love & trouble: Stories of Black women. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Gordimer, N. (1986). Six feet of the country. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin Books. Gordimer, N. (1980). A soldier's embrace: Stories. New York: Viking Press custodio, l. (n.d.). Country Lovers by Nadine Gordimer, an Analysis. Retrieved from Hub Pages: http://leecustodio.hubpages.com/hub/Country-Lovers-an-Analysis Kenyon, O. (1989). Nadine Cordimer. Retrieved from http://bths.enschool.org/ourpages/auto/2010/2/1/47903085/Country%20Lovers002.pdf Mastin, J. B. (2010, August). Black Womanhood: "Essence" and its Treatment of Stereotypical Images of Black Women. Retrieved from http://casaraelgibson.squarespace.com/storage/40034332.pdf Read More