Short Story My Parent's Window

In the short story “My Parent’s Window”, by Uwem Akpan, Monique’s family combats racial discrimination, displaying how race and family impact children. Race’s prevalence indoctrinates Monique through Tonton Nzeyimana, who favors blood over family. However, her parents’ familial love surpasses racial influence, educating Monique on what realistically keeps her motivated and hopeful. The bigger presence of family over the lives of children demonstrates that race is not as important as familial bonds. Monique begins with describing her mother and father and their appearance, manipulated by the society’s viewpoint on race, unaware of the hidden racism and oppression. Her mother was “a very beautiful Tutsi woman… her skin so light” while her father is “like most Hutus, very black” (Akpan 326). With the racial distinction, Papa’s uncle, The Wizard, is against Maman’s race and culture, refusing to “love the crucifix… [like] all [her] relatives do” (327). With skin resembling “milk with a little coffee”, …show more content…
The Wizard uses force and action for enforcing his ideas, but Monique’s parents act towards the betterment of others, instead of their own gain. Overall, race influences the Wizard and his followers to hunt down those that do not agree with their ideas, while Monique’s family protects those they love and wish to support, not contingent on their skin or religious beliefs. In the end, the Tutsis “run on… run after Papa’s people” (354) for the sake of revenge, continuing the racial separation between Tutsis and Hutus. Monique and Jean however, stick with their families’ beliefs, Jean “playing with the grow of the crucifix, babbling Maman’s name” (354). Despite race’s responsibility for Maman’s death, and the eventual burning of their house, their faith towards family presides in the end, revealing familial love’s empowering effect on