Like One Of The Family Analysis

Like One of the Family is an incredible series of monologues that, like Roxane Gay so eloquently said, encourages understanding about an underrepresented group within society-the domestic worker (xiii). Specifically looking at the female black domestic worker, Like One of the Family, asks its readers to test their assumptions about female black characters and to gain empathy for their situation in life. Unlike The Help, in which a white woman saves the day by telling the stories of the black domestic workers, Like One of the Family provides a needed authenticity with a strong black woman at the center who has control over her own story. This control elevates Mildred from the position of a victim to a position of power. The conversational aspect of the novel offers a surprising optimism about the future of the domestic worker and ultimately African Americans. Essentially, Like One of the Family effectively presents a …show more content…
It says that no matter how hard she works, Mildred will never be a part of the white family she works for. Although she has a connection with them, she will never be one of them. Childress touches on this idea indirectly in “Knowing the Human Condition”. She writes, “The imagery of course, reflects our home-grown bias. We fear other nations, cultures, races, faiths or beliefs, states, cities, counties, political groups, families, and finally, individuals other than ourselves” (8). Mildred points out the chauvinistic tendencies of northerners as they claim to be sympathetic yet still see black people as the “other” and do nothing to help further the cause of equality. She holds these people at the same level of outright racist whites in the south. Mildred battles an insidious form of racism like the employer who carries her pocketbook around with her whenever Mildred cleans her