Racial Prejudice in the Tallahassee Suburbs In “Snakes,” a short story written by Danielle Evans, a realistic world is formed around a young black girl named Tara who is sent to stay with her grandmother for the summer. The story unfolds as the reader learns that the grandmother seems to be racially prejudice, even towards her own granddaughter, Tara. During Tara’s stay at her grandmother’s house, she is accompanied by her cousin Allison who is white. The story centers around Tara’s attempts to remain a normal girl in the eyes of her grandmother, but struggles as her race seems to get in the way of her grandmother’s complete acceptance of her. Danielle Evans is helping the readers understand the difficulty of growing up in America as a minority.
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She is sweet, kind, and welcoming. She is thrilled that Tara is staying the summer there and that they can form a close bond. The inclusion of Allison is a small relief of the grim scenario that Tara is being placed in. Tara is happy that there is at least one person that will make her feel loved and important. Towards the middle of the story, the readers are tricked into thinking that Allison may not really be all that she seems to be. When Tara and Allison are playing by the lake and the rocks, Allison talks about running away because how much she hates the grandmother. Tara tries to console her as they stand together, “Then I saw Allison’s reflection lift her arms, felt the weight of her palms on my back, felt myself rock forward” (51). When Tara falls into the water, Danielle Evans makes it look like Allison pushed her. This makes the readers lose all hope in Tara’s family and the sympathy for her is doubled. It is then revealed at the end of the story when Allison and Tara are older that Allison never actually pushed Tara. Allison just wanted a way for both of them to get away from the grandmother. The readers are then still entranced until the very last sentence, “That afternoon above the murky water . . . there had been nothing but me, looking down at my own reflection, and seeing at last a way toward what I wanted most” (63). This final line opens up a very dark aspect of the story. Tara, at …show more content…
All of the stories incorporate a theme of racial profiling or sexist attitudes towards women. Danielle Evans wants to bring to light what it means and what it takes to be a woman in society. She even goes a step further when telling what it is like to a be a black woman/girl in society. It would not be surprising if most of these stories come from first hand experiences or stories from friends she knows. Evans talks about all of the emotional and physical struggles that women have to bear in society. Ranging from teenage pregnancy to sexual assault and teaching what to do in those types of situations. Through the power of the written word, Danielle Evans has managed to touch the lives of all of her readers. She has become a powerful role model in the eyes of both women and men. Men who read her stories can learn important lessons of respecting women and how men really have no idea what it’s like to be a woman in today’s society. Danielle Evans also makes “Snakes” relate to the other stories because most of the stories have to do with a girl facing the struggles of the real world and the determination it takes to overcome these impossible standards presented to
She is sweet, kind, and welcoming. She is thrilled that Tara is staying the summer there and that they can form a close bond. The inclusion of Allison is a small relief of the grim scenario that Tara is being placed in. Tara is happy that there is at least one person that will make her feel loved and important. Towards the middle of the story, the readers are tricked into thinking that Allison may not really be all that she seems to be. When Tara and Allison are playing by the lake and the rocks, Allison talks about running away because how much she hates the grandmother. Tara tries to console her as they stand together, “Then I saw Allison’s reflection lift her arms, felt the weight of her palms on my back, felt myself rock forward” (51). When Tara falls into the water, Danielle Evans makes it look like Allison pushed her. This makes the readers lose all hope in Tara’s family and the sympathy for her is doubled. It is then revealed at the end of the story when Allison and Tara are older that Allison never actually pushed Tara. Allison just wanted a way for both of them to get away from the grandmother. The readers are then still entranced until the very last sentence, “That afternoon above the murky water . . . there had been nothing but me, looking down at my own reflection, and seeing at last a way toward what I wanted most” (63). This final line opens up a very dark aspect of the story. Tara, at …show more content…
All of the stories incorporate a theme of racial profiling or sexist attitudes towards women. Danielle Evans wants to bring to light what it means and what it takes to be a woman in society. She even goes a step further when telling what it is like to a be a black woman/girl in society. It would not be surprising if most of these stories come from first hand experiences or stories from friends she knows. Evans talks about all of the emotional and physical struggles that women have to bear in society. Ranging from teenage pregnancy to sexual assault and teaching what to do in those types of situations. Through the power of the written word, Danielle Evans has managed to touch the lives of all of her readers. She has become a powerful role model in the eyes of both women and men. Men who read her stories can learn important lessons of respecting women and how men really have no idea what it’s like to be a woman in today’s society. Danielle Evans also makes “Snakes” relate to the other stories because most of the stories have to do with a girl facing the struggles of the real world and the determination it takes to overcome these impossible standards presented to