The story of Brown Girl, Brownstones is a story about a girl named Selina that is growing up in New York City during the Great Depression and World War II era. The story spans from when Selina is about ten years old up to when she is in her early twenties and it is told from a third person point of view. Selina lives with her family that consists of her mother, father, and her older sister. Both of Selina’s Parents originate from Barbados and are immigrants that came to the U.S. pursuing the “American Dream”. Selina’s mother, Silla, and her father, Deighton, have a very interesting relationship and both want to do the opposite of what the other one wants to do and go to pretty dramatic lengths to get what each of them wants; their relationship
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(Topic) Deighton wants to keep the land in the hopes that he will land a job in accounting, which he is studying for in the beginning of the novel, and then save up enough money to later go move back to Barbados with his family. In the story Deighton makes a clear stance he is not going to sell the land in page twenty “Land, Silla-gal, not money, and mine to do what I please with.” He shouted as he rapped his chest” (Textual) Deighton stuck to his plan and finished studying accounting but ignored the warnings of his wife and his family when applying to the major bank firms. When he went to apply Deighton ignored the warnings of his friends and family, and they were right since the owners were racist white men that wouldn’t hire a black man to work for them. Silla on the other hand had other things in mind when she decided to sell the land herself without her husband Deighton’s consent. “I gon’ sell it… I gon’ do it… some kind of way I’m gon’ do it.” (Book Pg.62) Silla wanted to sell the land to full fill her version of the “American Dream” by buying the brownstone house that they currently live in. Silla then proceeds to sell the house behind Deighton’s back knowing that he has plans for it in the future. This disagreement between the parents of Selina complicates gender roles for her.
(Topic) Deighton wants to keep the land in the hopes that he will land a job in accounting, which he is studying for in the beginning of the novel, and then save up enough money to later go move back to Barbados with his family. In the story Deighton makes a clear stance he is not going to sell the land in page twenty “Land, Silla-gal, not money, and mine to do what I please with.” He shouted as he rapped his chest” (Textual) Deighton stuck to his plan and finished studying accounting but ignored the warnings of his wife and his family when applying to the major bank firms. When he went to apply Deighton ignored the warnings of his friends and family, and they were right since the owners were racist white men that wouldn’t hire a black man to work for them. Silla on the other hand had other things in mind when she decided to sell the land herself without her husband Deighton’s consent. “I gon’ sell it… I gon’ do it… some kind of way I’m gon’ do it.” (Book Pg.62) Silla wanted to sell the land to full fill her version of the “American Dream” by buying the brownstone house that they currently live in. Silla then proceeds to sell the house behind Deighton’s back knowing that he has plans for it in the future. This disagreement between the parents of Selina complicates gender roles for her.