Charles Waddell Chestnutt's The Doll

The short story “The Doll”, by Charles Waddell Chesnutt was a rich story that incorporated keys themes that was important in the era of published, the Reconstruction period. After the Civil War, the slaves were emancipated from the chains that kept that were wrap around their lives, but were still in chains of oppression, prejudice, and death. Equality was something not obtainable for the free blacks! Equality was something that some keys leaders during this period such as Booker T. Washington did not want the blacks to mindlessly try to obtain. “Cast down your buckets where you are,” was an influential quote from Washington, urging the blacks to stay in the racially south and endure the prejudice. In the story, it can be implied that Chestnut believed in standing firm in his racial community and casting down his own bucket. The protagonist, explained before, the trade of cutting hair was dominated by the blacks, and then overtaken by the whites. Yet, the protagonist’s barber shop was one of the few remaining. The easy route the barber could have taken, was find another trade that was high in demands or move to area where it would be easily for blacks to own their own business, but the barber took pride in his trade and kept his bucket casted down, ready to face the discrimination and the competition that was to come ahead. …show more content…
Washington, he did not want others (his daughter and employers) to suffer for his vengeances, Chesnutt placed greater power in God, and believed one day he will get