Around the world, people waste money on impractical objects daily. Conclusively, it is on impulse, and people normally buy things according to what they want rather than what they need. In Bambara’s short story “The Lesson,” this spending is explained all throughout the tale. The story emphasizes how senseless people can be with money, and the story also highlights how crucial money actually is. Because of the lesson, the ways that money could be better well-spent, and the drastic amount of money people are willing to spend on seemingly useless items, the theme of the story is that money is meaningful. All throughout the short story, Miss Moore yearns to educate the children, and she strives to teach them an important lesson, which is that
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When Sylvia comes in contact with a clown that was worth a large sum of money, she grasps the idea that the money for the clown could be spent on more important objects. “Thirty-five dollars could buy new bunk beds for Junior and Gretchen’s boy” (Bambara 174). In this excerpt, Sylvia suggests that the amount of money the gadget is worth could buy new beds for her family members, which is more important than the little gizmo she is fascinated with. Also, Sylvia proposes that the money could take them on a trip to visit a close family member. “Thirty-five dollars and the whole household could go visit Grand-daddy Nelson in the country” (Bambara 174). Because Sylvia and her family could go visit her grandfather, this quote indicates that family is more important than any miniature clown in the store, and in that case, the quote implies that money does have meaning. Despite it all, Sylvia has everything figured out, and yet, she does not voice her opinion to Miss Moore. “On the train ride home she calculates what $35, the cost of a clown that has caught her attention, would mean to her family” (Cartwright 508). Although Sylvia does not voice her opinion like she normally would, she knows that the money would mean a great deal to her family, and she starts to realize how useful money truly is. Furthermore, there is a third …show more content…
The people in society are more than willing to spend their cash on worthless objects. “My eyes tell me it’s a chunk of glass cracked with something heavy, and different-color inks dripped into the splits, then the whole thing put into a oven or something. But for $480 it don’t make sense” (Bambara 172). The price of the paperweight is possibly more than it is actually worth. This fact engrosses Sylvia, but it also horrifies her. In addition to the paperweight, people are also eager to spend their money on senseless toys. “‘Hand-crafted sailboat of fiberglass at one thousand one hundred ninety-five dollars’” (Bambara 172). The toy sailboat is worth a lot of money, and it makes everyone, as well as the reader, wonder why someone would spend so much on an insignificant trinket. Miss Moore possesses an adequate amount of money as well, and she is not distressed when Sylvia does not return her change. “And, evidently as a consequence of her knowledge, she has more money—enough to hire two cabs to take the kids to F. A. O. Schwarz and not worry about the $4.00 change that Sylvia has kept and which Miss Moore surely has not forgotten” (Cartwright 508). To conclude, Miss Moore is not bothered by the lack of change in her wallet, and while this may seem uninfluential to her, it meant a nice meal for Sylvia and her cousin. This quote alone indicates that money is a
When Sylvia comes in contact with a clown that was worth a large sum of money, she grasps the idea that the money for the clown could be spent on more important objects. “Thirty-five dollars could buy new bunk beds for Junior and Gretchen’s boy” (Bambara 174). In this excerpt, Sylvia suggests that the amount of money the gadget is worth could buy new beds for her family members, which is more important than the little gizmo she is fascinated with. Also, Sylvia proposes that the money could take them on a trip to visit a close family member. “Thirty-five dollars and the whole household could go visit Grand-daddy Nelson in the country” (Bambara 174). Because Sylvia and her family could go visit her grandfather, this quote indicates that family is more important than any miniature clown in the store, and in that case, the quote implies that money does have meaning. Despite it all, Sylvia has everything figured out, and yet, she does not voice her opinion to Miss Moore. “On the train ride home she calculates what $35, the cost of a clown that has caught her attention, would mean to her family” (Cartwright 508). Although Sylvia does not voice her opinion like she normally would, she knows that the money would mean a great deal to her family, and she starts to realize how useful money truly is. Furthermore, there is a third …show more content…
The people in society are more than willing to spend their cash on worthless objects. “My eyes tell me it’s a chunk of glass cracked with something heavy, and different-color inks dripped into the splits, then the whole thing put into a oven or something. But for $480 it don’t make sense” (Bambara 172). The price of the paperweight is possibly more than it is actually worth. This fact engrosses Sylvia, but it also horrifies her. In addition to the paperweight, people are also eager to spend their money on senseless toys. “‘Hand-crafted sailboat of fiberglass at one thousand one hundred ninety-five dollars’” (Bambara 172). The toy sailboat is worth a lot of money, and it makes everyone, as well as the reader, wonder why someone would spend so much on an insignificant trinket. Miss Moore possesses an adequate amount of money as well, and she is not distressed when Sylvia does not return her change. “And, evidently as a consequence of her knowledge, she has more money—enough to hire two cabs to take the kids to F. A. O. Schwarz and not worry about the $4.00 change that Sylvia has kept and which Miss Moore surely has not forgotten” (Cartwright 508). To conclude, Miss Moore is not bothered by the lack of change in her wallet, and while this may seem uninfluential to her, it meant a nice meal for Sylvia and her cousin. This quote alone indicates that money is a