Growing up in Harlem in 1972 is not easy as an African American, not to mention a woman as well. “The Lesson” is a short story written by Toni Bambara that retells her adolescent years of growing up in Harlem and spending her summers learning from Miss Moore, the only woman to attend college in the neighborhood. Because Miss Moore attended college, the parents of the children see it fit for her to watch over them during the summer. She teaches the children an array of subjects, but in the story she takes them to F.A.O Schwarz, to teach them a lesson they will not learn in the classroom. Once the narrator Sylvia realizes the social injustices in society after Miss Moore’s lesson, she has a major shift in attitude from what was sceptical and
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Up until this point she has been cynical towards the trip and not marveled at the toys with the other children. However, when she see that the sailboat costs one thousand one hundred ninety-five dollars she says “unbelievable, I hear myself say and am really stunned. (277)” Not only is the price higher than anything she has seen, but the fact that it is a sailboat resonates with her more. A sailboat is something that she has played with her whole childhood and she only spent about fifty cents on it, so she cannot fathom the price of the one in the toy …show more content…
They were standing outside the window looking at all the unique toys and now it is time for them to go see them up close. At this point the kids should be excited to go inside because looking through the window is not as stimulating as actually playing with the toys. Sylvia gets to the door and freezes. She explains, “I kinda hang back. Not that I’m scared, what’s there to be afraid of, just a toy store. But I feel funny, shame (278).” She does not think that she belongs in that store after seeing how expensive everything is. She is ashamed to go in there because she knows that she cannot afford to buy anything. Sylvia acknowledges that she does not belong and wants to leave the store because it makes her angry. It is a different type of anger; she is not mad at anyone in particular, but rather the idea that there are people that can actually afford these items that cost as much as her rent. Take the toy clown for example, Sylvia explains that the price of the clown could replace the beds in her house or pay for the entire family to visit their grandfather. That is why she is angry, because she is finally starting to see the inequality in the world, and all it took was something as simple as a toy clown. She says “what kinda work they do and how they live and how come we ain’t in on it (280)?” Although Sylvia is starting to understand the importance of Miss Moore’s lesson, she is
Up until this point she has been cynical towards the trip and not marveled at the toys with the other children. However, when she see that the sailboat costs one thousand one hundred ninety-five dollars she says “unbelievable, I hear myself say and am really stunned. (277)” Not only is the price higher than anything she has seen, but the fact that it is a sailboat resonates with her more. A sailboat is something that she has played with her whole childhood and she only spent about fifty cents on it, so she cannot fathom the price of the one in the toy …show more content…
They were standing outside the window looking at all the unique toys and now it is time for them to go see them up close. At this point the kids should be excited to go inside because looking through the window is not as stimulating as actually playing with the toys. Sylvia gets to the door and freezes. She explains, “I kinda hang back. Not that I’m scared, what’s there to be afraid of, just a toy store. But I feel funny, shame (278).” She does not think that she belongs in that store after seeing how expensive everything is. She is ashamed to go in there because she knows that she cannot afford to buy anything. Sylvia acknowledges that she does not belong and wants to leave the store because it makes her angry. It is a different type of anger; she is not mad at anyone in particular, but rather the idea that there are people that can actually afford these items that cost as much as her rent. Take the toy clown for example, Sylvia explains that the price of the clown could replace the beds in her house or pay for the entire family to visit their grandfather. That is why she is angry, because she is finally starting to see the inequality in the world, and all it took was something as simple as a toy clown. She says “what kinda work they do and how they live and how come we ain’t in on it (280)?” Although Sylvia is starting to understand the importance of Miss Moore’s lesson, she is