"The Lesson" by Toni Cade Bambara is a spirited story about a poor girl out of place in an expensive toy store (F.A.O Schwartz); it is a social commentary. The descriptions of Harlem and the characters in the story are very realistic and vivid. The reader can imagine the smell of the city air, hear the traffic, and picture the characters "The Lesson" is a story about one African-American girl 's struggle with her growing awareness of class inequality. There are three main themes readily discernible in “The Lesson” they are Poverty and Wealth, Race, and Resistance Poverty and Wealth. The character Miss Moore demonstrate that life can be different through experiences in other lifestyles.
Some of the characters in this short story are Sylvia …show more content…
Aunt Gretchen, who According to Sylvia, she is gullible and has been manipulated for so long it is natural for her. Sugar lives in the same neighborhood as Sylvia and grew up under similar conditions. Because of this, they are very good friends and spend much of their time together. Sylvia, Sugar, and Junebug were all taken care of by their Aunt Gretchen previously. Sugar also catches on to Miss Moore’s lesson and demonstrates it at the end of the story. Mercedes is tidy and tries to be more proper than the other children because she wants to be like the rich, white Americans. She has her own desk at home for doing her homework. She is at home in F. A. O. Schwarz and wants to come back with her birthday money to buy herself a toy. Mercedes, alone of the children, is unperturbed by the price tags on the toys or what they represent about America. She doesn’t seem to understand the lesson at …show more content…
Its fifteen stories focus on the relationships in African-American communities and includes the story “The Lesson.” In “The Lesson,” Bambara seems to endorse Miss Moore’s opinion that economic inequality is symptomatic of a flawed society. However, the lesson does not arise organically from the children’s experiences, it comes from a character who is very different from the other adults the children know, and who is considered strange in the neighborhood. This explains why a child, especially a rebellious one like Sylvia, is resistant to the lesson. However, the pervasive truth of it lingers, and Bambara suggests that having seen the extent of inequality will not soon fade from this observant girl 's consciousness. Education and awareness might be hard, but they are
Some of the characters in this short story are Sylvia …show more content…
Aunt Gretchen, who According to Sylvia, she is gullible and has been manipulated for so long it is natural for her. Sugar lives in the same neighborhood as Sylvia and grew up under similar conditions. Because of this, they are very good friends and spend much of their time together. Sylvia, Sugar, and Junebug were all taken care of by their Aunt Gretchen previously. Sugar also catches on to Miss Moore’s lesson and demonstrates it at the end of the story. Mercedes is tidy and tries to be more proper than the other children because she wants to be like the rich, white Americans. She has her own desk at home for doing her homework. She is at home in F. A. O. Schwarz and wants to come back with her birthday money to buy herself a toy. Mercedes, alone of the children, is unperturbed by the price tags on the toys or what they represent about America. She doesn’t seem to understand the lesson at …show more content…
Its fifteen stories focus on the relationships in African-American communities and includes the story “The Lesson.” In “The Lesson,” Bambara seems to endorse Miss Moore’s opinion that economic inequality is symptomatic of a flawed society. However, the lesson does not arise organically from the children’s experiences, it comes from a character who is very different from the other adults the children know, and who is considered strange in the neighborhood. This explains why a child, especially a rebellious one like Sylvia, is resistant to the lesson. However, the pervasive truth of it lingers, and Bambara suggests that having seen the extent of inequality will not soon fade from this observant girl 's consciousness. Education and awareness might be hard, but they are