How Come Boys Get To Keep Their Nose Analysis

At first glance of the title, How Come Boys Get to Keep Their Noses, I thought about black women and their noses. It is perceived as unattractive on a woman regardless of your ethnicity. Oksman explains the narrative of several Jewish women who have created graphic novels, their story of Jewish identity, and how this is expressed through art. I focus my respond to the similarities between Jewish identity and Black identity in women and how Jewish women have used art in the form of comics to visually tell their story. Both Jewish and Black women are from non-Western European origins and traditions. Both ethnic groups suffered oppression, mass murder, displacement, unwarranted racial hatred and a longing to belong to a hegemonic society. Tahneer’s explains the pressure to physically change in Aline Kominsky Crumb narration of the new nose (1). In her introduction, Oksman talks about Jewish American literature, identity, and feminism the same way as Black American literature. The question raised, what are the social differences of what it means to be a Jew, could also be asked of the Black community? Tahneer quotes Helene Meyers “if one can choose Jewish afflication…then it becomes possible to unaffiliated Jewishly…”(2). She further terms postassimilated as a way …show more content…
Tahneer describe how some Jewish women as a “monster” (24). Historically, women of color have been label monstrous by early European colonializers, which continues today. Most Black women can relate to is Kominsky Crumb’s comment on her alter ego who doesn’t what to be Jewish any more because, “It’s too yucky and unpopular. Everyone hates Jews” (54). I agree with Oksmann it is a struggle to identify with artificial boundaries between how we are defined and reality of being Jewish or Black. I hope to see more graphic novels on Black identity like I see in the Jewish