Setting analysis of “The Lesson” In Toni Cade Bambara’s story “The Lesson”, readers are introduced to several characters. Most of the characters are children. They live a poor lifestyle and live in a run-down neighborhood. One of the main characters is a small girl named Sylvia. The story opens with Sylvia introducing another character, Miss Moore. Miss Moore is an older black woman with a college degree. She moved to the neighborhood to try and better the lives of the children, and help teach them. None of the children like Miss Moore, especially Sylvia. Miss Moore takes the children on trips to different places to help teach them new things. One day she decides to take the children to a toy store. The various settings in the story represent
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One setting which reveals this, is the neighborhood in which the children live. After seeing other neighborhoods, and how other people live, the children realize how poor of a life they actually live. The neighborhood that the toy store was in, was more of an upper class neighborhood. Miss Moore takes the children to the toy store in hopes that the children will see how other people live, and that they will want to live a life like that. Once they arrive at the toy store, Miss Moore tells the children to “’…look in the window before [they] go in’” (463). The children look in the window at how expensive items cost, and they realize that they cannot afford anything. For example the children see a “’ Hand-crafted sailboat of fiberglass at one thousand one hundred and ninety five dollars” (464). One of the children, realizing his family could not afford the toy, says “’Must be rich people [who] shop here” (465). The children are amazed that “’… some people can afford to spend on a toy what it would cost to feed a family of six or seven…” (466) Realizing this, the children see how unfair life can be. This only pushes the children more, making them want to be …show more content…
The children realize that learning new things and doing well in school will help them in life. After seeing how much the toys cost, the children see that the only way they can afford the toys is to have a good paying job. Miss Moore’s character does a good job of showing the children that a college education can better their lives. Although Miss Moore is not rich, she has a lot of knowledge about life. The children wonder what it would be like to have the amount of money that some people have. Like when Miss Moore asks the children to imagine some people spending on a toy what it costs to feed a family, the children are overwhelmed at this thought (466). Miss Moore tries to teach the children that just because they are poor, it does not mean they cannot change it. She shows them that with hard work, they too can have a college education, and a better paying
One setting which reveals this, is the neighborhood in which the children live. After seeing other neighborhoods, and how other people live, the children realize how poor of a life they actually live. The neighborhood that the toy store was in, was more of an upper class neighborhood. Miss Moore takes the children to the toy store in hopes that the children will see how other people live, and that they will want to live a life like that. Once they arrive at the toy store, Miss Moore tells the children to “’…look in the window before [they] go in’” (463). The children look in the window at how expensive items cost, and they realize that they cannot afford anything. For example the children see a “’ Hand-crafted sailboat of fiberglass at one thousand one hundred and ninety five dollars” (464). One of the children, realizing his family could not afford the toy, says “’Must be rich people [who] shop here” (465). The children are amazed that “’… some people can afford to spend on a toy what it would cost to feed a family of six or seven…” (466) Realizing this, the children see how unfair life can be. This only pushes the children more, making them want to be …show more content…
The children realize that learning new things and doing well in school will help them in life. After seeing how much the toys cost, the children see that the only way they can afford the toys is to have a good paying job. Miss Moore’s character does a good job of showing the children that a college education can better their lives. Although Miss Moore is not rich, she has a lot of knowledge about life. The children wonder what it would be like to have the amount of money that some people have. Like when Miss Moore asks the children to imagine some people spending on a toy what it costs to feed a family, the children are overwhelmed at this thought (466). Miss Moore tries to teach the children that just because they are poor, it does not mean they cannot change it. She shows them that with hard work, they too can have a college education, and a better paying