1

WORDS /TERMS USED WHEN STUDYING PROSE

A short story is a prose narrative that has a developed plot but is shorter than a novel. A short
story is usually characterized by limited characters and settings.

A novel is a fictional prose narrative of considerable length, typically having a plot that is
unfolded by the actions, speech, and thoughts of the characters. A novel is characterized by
numerous characters, various setting and a plot that contains several minor conflicts.

The author refers to the person who writes the story or the novel.

The narrator is the person that tells the story. The narrator in prose fiction is either first person
or third person.

NB. The first person narrator uses I, we, us while the third person narrator used he, she,
they.

The narrative voice may be that of a man, woman or child. The type of narrator chosen by
the author is very important as this affects how the story is told and how the reader
analyses the story.

The characters are the people who undertake the actions in the story.

The setting refers to the place, time and atmosphere (weather and mood) in which the events
occur.

Conflict (please see meaning in poetry section page 3)

The resolution refers to the solving of these problems.

The plot is all the events that occur throughout the story.

ie. Exposition, Rising action, Climax, Falling action and Resolution

2
Themes are the issues or topics that are highlighted by the writer of the literature.

A motif is a theme or idea that can be seen throughout the entire story.

CSEC prescribed list of Short Stories

Berry
Raymonds Run
The Day the World Almost Came to an End
The Two Grand Mothers
The Man of the House
Shabine
To Da- duh in Memoriam
Mom Luby and the Social Worker
Emma
Georgia and them there United States

THEMES
Childhood Experiences

Family Relationship

Friendship

Racism, Prejudice, Discrimination and Struggles

Poverty

Religion

Women in society/ The treatment of women

The Role of the Elderly

Death/Dying

Conflict
Man versus Society

Man versus Man

Man versus Self

Man versus Nature

3
Berry
by Langston Hughes (American)

CHARACTERS
Milberry Jones/ Berry

Mrs. Osborn (head housekeeper)

Dr. Renfield

Martha Renfield

Miss Baxter (the nurse)

Mrs. Hill (the nurse)

The handyman gardener - chauffeur

SETTINGS
New Jersey

Dr. Renfield Summer Home for Crippled Children

The kitchen

The beach

SUMMARY OF THE STORY

The story of Milberry is one that begins with the head housekeeper in Dr. Renfields summer
home at the train station waiting for the new kitchen boy to arrive. The third person narrator
reveals Mrs. Osborns racist mentality to use as the first thing she noticed about Milberry was
that he was black. She decides to take the young man home although she is uncertain as to his
future as a servant in the home. She leaves Milberry washing dishes in the kitchen and goes to
speak with Dr. Renfield about Milberrys fate at the home. The racist nature of the doctor is also
revealed as he decides to keep Milberry, but to pay him eight dollars instead of the ten dollars
that was paid to the pervious kitchen boy (who was white). Milberry was placed in the attic to

4
sleep and although he was employed as the kitchen boy he was made to do the work of the other
employees.

He got up early in the morning, made the fire for the cook, peel potatoes ,onions and apples,
wash the dishes, scour pots and pans, scrub the floor, carry wood for the fire place, polish the
waitresses silver and ice their water, as well as other jobs that Mrs. Osborn would assign to him.

Milberry knew that he was being overworked and under paid, however; as he was black and
uneducated there were few opportunities for him and he needed work and food. Milberry also
developed a relationship with the children at the home and this also influenced his decision to
stay. Berry, as he was affectionately called by the children was the only one at the home that
genuinely care for them. Berry would sing songs, tell them stories and jokes and take them to the
beach when the weather was sunny. He would observe the way the workers at the home would
complain about everything and how they only treated the children well when a family was
visiting. The story makes mention of the two types of cans that were opened at the home, good
cans and the cheap cans. The good cans were opened when a family would visit and the cheap
cans were what the students ate on a regular basis.

One day while pushing a child in his wheelchair to the beach an accident occurred. The child was
so excited that he leaned forwards and fell from his chair. The nurses blamed Berry for the
accident and Dr. Renfield did the same. The good doctor was not truly concerned about the
wellness of the child but the lawsuit that might be field against the home and the money he
would have to pay the family.

Berry was fired and his last weeks pay withheld.

CONFLICT
Man against Society

Berry was a black man in a white setting; this resulted in him having a hard life in Georgia as
they dont have many schools for Negroes and he was uneducated when he moved north to
New Jersey he had been there for weeks without food. When he got to DR. Renfields Summer
Home for Crippled Children he was treated unfairly by the white adults at the home.

RESOLUTION
Berry is fired without pay after a child falls from his wheelchair. He leaves the home for Jersey
City without any arguments are questions (the same way he did his work at the home).

THEMES
Racism, Prejudice and Discrimination, Poverty, Man versus society, Friendship

5
Shabine
by Hazel Simmons- Mc Donald (St. Lucian)

CHARACTERS
Justine Gold

Silver The young boy / The young man

Justines mother The narrators Grandmother

Madame Cazaubon Mr. Cazaubon

The boys

SETTING(s)
St. Lucia

Riverside Road

The Cazaubon house

SUMMARY OF THE STORY

The story of Justine is told as seen from the doting eyes of a young man who had liked her from
they were children. The narrator tells how as a child the boy would visit his grandmother for
holidays annually and fell in love with the Shabine. This was the term used to refer to Justine
who was the child of a brief union between Misie Cazaubon and his helper (Justines mother).
This situation resulted in the neighbourhood casting judgment on not only the helper but her poor
innocent child. As a child Justine and her mother lived in a room on the Cazaubons property. It
was this situation that was thought to have led to the death of Justines mother, who was said to
have waited on Mr. Cazaubon to accept Justine as his child. The tense situation that existed at the
home was evident in Mr. Cazaubons retreat to his room upon arriving home in an attempt to
evade the eyes and complaints of his wife.

The narrator describes a pregnant Justine while she is but a teenager, her stomach was swollen
and full of Gold which was the name of Justines first son (the second being Silver). He

6
describes the white men that her mother allows to visit and the reader is made aware that the
child she is carrying belongs to one such man.

There is a sense of regret as the narrator speaks. It is revealed that he still wishes that he had
been bold and spoken to Justine as a child despite the warnings of his grandmother to keep away
from the Shabine. However, he never musters the strength to approach Justine and even during
the story he is seen from a distance admiring her figure, eyes, hair and even the way her clothes
caressed her body the same way he would watch her eat the paradise plums as a child.

Although a lady of the night, Justine is a good mother to her sons Gold and Silver and this may
be seen as she rushes to protect them from the boys who stop to taunt her about her chosen
profession. The love that is seen between Justine and her sons is the same love that is missing
between Mr. Cazaubon and Justine.

CONFLICT
The conflict in the story is one that is rooted in discrimination. The community discriminated
against Justine and this could be seen in the taunts of the boys and the warnings of the narrators
grandmother. This discrimination may have also affected the narrator as he may have been afraid
to approach Justine in part because of the discrimination she faced.

RESOLUTION
The story does not have a happy ending in some sense as the narrator does not realize his dreams
of having plenty of Copper with Justine. The discrimination in the story does not change and
the story ends with the community and Madame Cazaubon feeling the same way about the
Sabine.

THEMES
Love and Family Relationship
This theme is brought out by Justine and her two children. She protects them by dispersing her
children's tormentors in a hale of her own words and stones. She then told them that they should
not respond to their tormentors because they would become like them. This is the hallmark of a
loving mother. She defends and protects her children, yet teaches them the value of maintaining
their pride. This is in contrast with the very vague details surrounding the relationship with her
mother. She is seen in the story hugging and comforting her sons.

7
Women in Society
The short story highlights the fact that women, in general, have very few choices. Justine's
mother has a child by her employer and remains under his roof. Justine herself grows up and also
has very few choices as she turns to prostitution to support herself and her sons.

Discrimination
Is also evident throughout the story as the community does not accept Justine because of who she
is. She was an outcast as a child an even as an adult they still do not accept her. The
discrimination faced by Justine leads to her facing many struggles.

SYMBOLS

Paradise Plums
Paradise plums represent the alternate life that Justine could have had. The fact that this candy
(sweet) was used to court Justine in such a shy, innocent and consistent manner, implies that
her life with the narrator could have been very pleasant and healthy.

The Wall
The wall that separates the young man from Justine also indicates her separation from the
community at large. She is seen as the bastard child of Mr. Cazaubon and his helper and as such
she is not accepted by members of the society in which she lives. The physical wall acts as a
barrier between the two young people possibly starting a friendship/relationship with each other.

Gold and Silver

These are the names of precious metals and Justine names her sons Gold and Silver to show how
much the two boys mean to her. This may also be seen as her way of telling/showing the
community how she feels about her kids. She treats them as if they are indeed precious to her.

8
Mom Luby and the Social Worker
by Kristin Hunter (American)

CHARACTERS
Mom Luby/ Mrs. Luby Elijah

Arlethia Miss Rushmore

Mr. Jenkins Mr. Luby

Zerline Bobo

Sissiemae Walter

Lucas Mose

Jake

SETTING(s)
The United States of America

19th century (The great depression)

The welfare office

Division Street

SUMMARY OF THE STORY

The story of Mrs. Luby is told by the first person child narrator, Elijah. Elijah and his sister
Puddin went to live with Mom Luby after their mother died. The story begins in the setting of
the Welfare building where Mom has taken the children to seek help to send them to school and
to by clothes for them. The welfare office as described by the Elijah is a gloomy place where the
children are not comfortable and are in a great hurry to leave.

The welfare department assigns Miss Rushmore to Mom Lubys case. Miss Rushmore is a young
woman who operates by the book and seems very uptight as she goes about her investigation into

9
the situation in which the children live. She visits Mom Lubys house on Division Street and
advises Mom Luby that she is not taking care of the children well. She questions the food that
Mom Luby has prepared for the children to eat. Miss Rushmore has observed that Mom Luby is
running an illegal restaurant and bar from her home and that there are male customers interacting
with the children.

She agrees to go on errands with Mom Luby and after they return from performing some of
Mom Lubys many duties (lawyer, midwife, minister, herbal doctor, etc.) Miss Rushmore is tired
and disheveled. However, a calm Mom Luby enters the house and takes the social worker to the
back and pours her a drink of corn wine. Miss Rushmore is overwhelmed by the duties that she
has just seen Mom Luby perform in two hours and states that the Mom does not need her help as
she is capable of doing more work in an hour than she (Miss Rushmore) could do in two years.

CONFLICT
Mom Luby is unable to take care of her two foster children financially. She goes to the welfare
office to seek help and has to convince Miss Rushmore that she is in need of their assistance.

RESOLUTION
Mom Luby does not receive help from the welfare office as Miss Rushmore states that Mom
Luby does not need help. Although Mom Luby does not get the money she needs to take care of
the two children the reader is left with a sense that the family will be alright.

THEMES
Family relationship

Hunter uses the story of Mom Luby to question the ideals of what a family unit should look like.
Mom Luby, although not the biological mother of the children care for them the way a real
mother would. She tries her best to take care of their basic needs and seeks assistance when she
is unable to take care of them. The family structure that is created by Mom Luby is one that the
children seem to enjoy and they demonstrate their love for her by calling her Mom.

Poverty

The story is set during the period of the Great Depression, a time when there were very few jobs
available and the cost of living was high due to the financial meltdown of the United States in the
1900l. This was evident in the story as even Mom Lubys customers were unable to pay her for
10
her food, alcohol and services. The welfare system was in concept the governments way of
helping those in need to purchase basic amenities. The story of Mom Luby also highlights the
difficulties that were experienced by those who tried to access this government aid.

11
To Da- duh in Memoriam
by Paule Marshall (American)

CHARACTERS
The narrator

Da-duh

Adry (the narrators mother)

SETTING(s)
Barbados

The disembarkation shed

St. Thomas

New York

SUMMARY OF THE STORY

Da-duh is described to us by the narrator (her granddaughter) as a woman of eighty odd years
who had a face that looked like a death mask but had eyes that were on the contrary full of spirit.
She is the head of her family and demands the respect of her children and their offspring. The
short story To Da-duh in Memoriam may be seen as a tribute to the memory of Da-duh the
grandmother of the narrator who by the end of the story succumbs to the ills of age and dies.

The narrator along with her sister and mother went to Barbados to visit her grandmother Da-duh.
Da-duh is a woman who is very old fashioned and does not believe in anything else but manual
labour and hard work. The meeting between the grandmother and the narrator becomes a battle
between age and youth as both engage in a steering match at the beginning of the story. This first
encounter is won by the nine year old narrator who has won the respect of her grandmother who
describes her as being fierce.

On their journey home the narrator observes that her grandmother is very uncomfortable while
aboard the Lorry that has come to take them to St. Thomas where Da-duh lives. Da-duh holds

12
tightly to the hand of the narrator while they journey home and only becomes relaxed after they
have left the town and entered the scenic route of the country (trees and cane fields). Later in the
story the narrator further discovers that it is not just motor vehicles that her grandmother despises
but all forms of machinery. While staying with Da-duh is narrator and her grandmother go on
walks each day and it is this daily activity that causes the two to become close while they engage
in their battles. While on their walks Da-duh would ask questions about New York while sharing
/boasting about the beauty of St.Thomas and the beautiful weather of the island. The narrator too
boasted about the sights of New York and of the United States, informing her grandmother that
there was a building (the Empire State building), that was taller than the tallest mountain her
grandmother had ever seen (her grandmother did not believe this). She promised to send a
postcard to show that this was true. She introduces Da-duh to the busy steel and concrete world
of New York, a world that seemed to fascinate Da-duh.

However, the narrator does not get this opportunity as by the time she gets around to sending Da-
duh the postcard Da-duh has died. Upon become an adult the narrator reveals that she took some
time away from her work to reflect on herself and her life and she found herself thinking about
her grandmother and doing paintings that reminded her of the island (Barbados).

Da-duh may be seen as a foil character to the narrator as they are the exact opposite of each
other in both their beliefs and actions.

CONFLICT
The conflict in this story may be seen as Da-duhs unwillingness to accept change. She does not
want to acknowledge that there is a world outside of St. Thomas (Barbados) and that progress is
taking place around her.

RESOLUTION
The visit of the narrator brings helps Da-duh in a sense to recognize that things and times have
changed.

THEMES
Race:
Is an apparent theme in the story and may be seen when Da-duh and the protagonist discuss the
fact that she beat up a white girl in her class. Da-duh is very surprised this and exclaims that the
world has changed a lot and that she can no longer recognize it. To the protagonist this was

13
nothing strange as she existed with whites in her society but to her grandmother this was indeed
something strange. Da-duh still saw the whites as being superior and even the thought of her
granddaughter fighting a white girl was a lot for her to imagine. Her belief may also be seen at
the beginning of the story when it was revealed that Da-duh liked her grandchildren to be white.

Love and family relationship:

The story illustrates the strong familial ties that exists among people of the Caribbean, both in
the islands and in the diaspora. The fact that the narrator and her family left New York to visit
the matriarch of the family, in Barbados, highlights this tie. The respect accorded to Da-duh by
the mother also shows her place, or status, in the family. The protagonist states that in the
presence of Da-duh, her formidable mother became a child again.

The Role of the Elderly:

Da-duh is presented as the head of her family and is accorded the respect that is given to the
familys matriarch.

SYMBOL

Empire State Building

This building represents power and progress. It is in the midst of the cold glass and steel of New
York City and, therefore, distorts Da-duhs symbol of power; Bissex Hill. It is not by accident
that the knowledge of this building shakes Da-duhs confidence. Steel and iron, the symbol of
progress, is what shakes the nature loving Da-duh. It can, therefore, be said that her response to
the knowledge of the existence of the Empire State Building (defeat) is a foreshadowing of her
death.

The Royal Palm Tree

The palm tree is a symbol of what nature without the interference of man can achieve. The tree is
Da- Duhs final card to play as she shows her grand daughter the magnificence of the islands.
Da- Duh shows the narrator the palm tree in hopes that this sight will solidify her victory in the
battle the two have engaged in.

14
The Man of the House
by Frank OConnor (Irish)

CHARACTERS
The narrator/ 10yr old Sullivan/Flurry Mrs. Sullivan

Dooley Danny Delaney

Minnie Ryan The pharmacist at the dispensary

The bartender at the Public House/bar The doctor

SETTING(s)
Ireland

East Cork

Old Youghal Road

The Sullivans House

The cathedral

The dispensary

SUMMARY OF THE STORY

The story is narrated by a ten year old boy who is faced with the dilemma of his mother being
sick. The narrator wakes up one morning to find his mother coughing copiously. He assumes the
role of the man of the house when he prepares breakfast, does the errands, goes shopping,
stops at a bar to get whiskey for Minnie Ryans home remedy, fetches the doctor and later goes
to the dispensary to get his mothers medicine.

However throughout the story he is faced with several tempting challenges which he over comes
up until the point where he meets the beautify Dooley. He is completely infatuated by her beauty
(red hair and green eyes) and boasts about having a penny (which he had promised to the Virgin

15
Mary in the form of a candle in hopes of his mothers recovery). He spends the money on sweets
and then allows the little girl a taste of his mothers cough syrup; before long the bottle is empty
and Sullivan/Flurry realizes what he has done. He runs away crying and finds rescue in the
cathedral (church), where he pleads with the Blessed Virgin to perform a miracle and heal his
ailing mother.

Upon arriving home he tells his mother that he had spilled the medicine, but he later confesses
that he drank it. To his surprise his mother does not scold him but instead takes the blame for
having sent him such a far distance on his own. He falls asleep because of the cough syrup in his
body and awakes to find a judgmental Minnie Ryan over him. He also finds his mother awake
and well (to an extent) and is not daunted by Minnies words or accusing eyes as he is reassured
by the love and understanding of his mother.

CONFLICT
Sullivans/Flurrys conflict is that his mother is sick (and if she dies he will become an orphan).
He is worried about his mother and her illness causes him great distress.

RESOLUTION
The conflict is resolved after Sullivan/Flurry wakes from his cough syrup induced sleep. He
finds that his mother is up and about and the miracle that he has prayed for has become true.

THEMES
Childhood Experiences:

Childhood Experience is an apparent theme in the story as the events are centred on the sickness
of Mrs. Sullivan and the efforts of her ten year old son to ensure her speedy recovery. The
experience of seeing his mother sick is one that frightens the ten year old boy. He however learns
to be responsible as he takes care of her and later learns a valuable lesson after he is deceived by
the beautify temptress (Dooley).

Love and family relationship:

The relationship that is displayed between the mother and son is one that is recognized by several
other characters throughout the story. Minnie Ryan and the doctor both comment on the

16
reliability of Sullivan/Flurry and commend him for the many acts that he performs while his
mother is sick. Mrs. Sullivan also recognizes the helpfulness of her son and speaks highly of him
in the presence of both the doctor and her friend Minnie Ryan.

Her ability to forgive Sullivan/Flurry willingly and with a certain amount of ease shows how
much she loves her son. He in turn, appreciates her love and is validated by the fact that she is
willing to forgive him.

Religion:

OConnor presents the theme of religion as Sullivan/Flurry is conscious of wrong and right. At
ten the narrator recognizes the presence of God and the power of prayer. He enters the church
initially in hopes that his prayer would be answered and later after he was deceived by Dooley he
returned to the church in search of a miracle.

17
The Day the World Almost Came to an End
by: Pearl Crayton (American)

CHARACTERS
The narrator

Rena

Miss Daya

The narrators mother

The narrators father/the deacon

Reverend Davis

Catherine

Sam

SETTINGS
1936

United States of America

Louisiana

Plantation

SUMMARY OF STORY
The Day the World Almost Came to an End is told to us in flashback as the narrator relives an
experience she had when she was just twelve years old. Set on a plantation in Louisiana USA in
the early 90s the narrator states that plantation life revolved around the church and religion. It is
against this backdrop that her childhood experience is set when she is told of the world coming
to an end.

The narrator is told that the world is going to end by her cousin (Rena) who overhears an adult
conversation about an eclipse that will occur the next day (Saturday). Rena believes that this

18
means that the world will end and shares this information with her twelve year old cousin. The
narrator, a sinner who enjoys the pleasures of sinning, is not ready to accept the Lord as her
saviour (get religion) and as such she is terrified that the world will end and she will go to hell.

She approaches her father who is a deacon at their and questions him about the coming of the
Lord. Her fathers response does not comfort the narrator as she becomes even more worried as
her father reveals that the world may end at anytime as one man knows when the Lord will
come.

She goes to bed worried and in a state of panic as she does not know what will happen. While in
her bed the narrator hears the sound of an old airplane and believed it was the world ending. She
ran from her house screaming and shouting to her neighbours that the world was ending. She is
met and comforted by her father who was on his way home. He pointed out to her that the noise
she heard was coming from an airplane and that the world was not ending as she had thought.

At the end of the experience the narrator becomes aware that she cannot live her life in fear of
the world ending but instead that she should live her life fully and appreciate each day.

CONFLICT
The narrators conflict is with the idea of getting religion as a child. She believed that she was
too young (12 years old) to become a Christian; however if the world was ending she would go
to hell. The narrator also fears the idea of going to hell.

RESOLUTION
The conflict is resolved when the narrator is made aware that the sound she heard was not the
world ending but an air plane flying overhead. She finally realizes that one cannot live their life
waiting on the world to end.

THEMES
Childhood Experience

The theme of childhood experience is presented through the authors use of flashback. The story
although told by the adult narrator is an event that happened when she was twelve years old.

19
Religion

It is the event that the narrator experiences in the story that brings out the theme of religion. The
idea of the world ending allows the author to introduce biblical allusion/images throughout the
story. The mention of John, Revelation and even Miss Dayas misinterpretation of the narrators
kneeling for praying are religious images. The diction used throughout the story also lends itself
to the theme. The author uses such words as Christian, sinner, the Lord, devil and hell to sustain
the theme in the story.

The story brings to mind the age old question of when and how the world will end. At the end of
the story this question is answered and we are made aware of the fact that man can not predict or
understand the power and working of God.

Family Relationship

The relationship that exists between the narrator and her father is one that is highlighted
throughout the story. When she is told that the world will end on Saturday she goes to her father
to seek clarification. This shows that the narrator trusted her father and that she valued his
opinion on matters of importance. This is further brought out as after she hears the air plane and
runs out of the house screaming and shouting it is her father who consoles her, wraps her in his
coat and takes her back home.

20
Emma
by Carolyn Cole (American)

CHARACTERS
Emma York Dorian York/ Dory

Jack York Maria

Mrs. Ruby Robinson Frank

Grandaddy (Emmas father)

SETTINGS
The Yorks house

The mall

The train station

SUMMARY OF STORY
The story Emma is told from the perspective of Emmas young daughter Dorian/Dory. Dorian
is the only child of Emma and Jack York a couple that seemed to have gotten married because of
the child. As a result the relationship between Dorian and her father is not a strong one and the
relationship between Emma and her husband is one that is equally as fragile. The story presents
the tragic experience of the narrator losing her mother because of her fathers infidelity. Dorian
describes the relationship between her mother and her father as a game and throughout the game
Emma (her mother) is being played as she is unaware of all that is happening around her.

Emma a stay at home mom is devoted to taking care of her husband and daughter. She is urged
by her neighbour and friend Ruby Robinson to pay close attention to her husband in an attempt
to ensure that he does not cheat on her. However, this advice was not genuine as Ruby was aware
of the fact that Mr. York had a lady that he was seeing at the train station where the children
would skate. Rubys concern was in fact envy of Emmas life as she had been left by her

21
husband Frank to raise their daughter Maria alone. Ruby saw Emma as someone who had
everything she wanted.

After going to the train station one day to pick up Dorian and Maria, Emma sees her husband
with a lady in a compromising position. Emma runs and is chased by her husband who tries to
hold her by the arm. She frees herself and runs into the path of an oncoming vehicle and is killed.
Dorian does not quit understand what has happened and even after her mothers death she waits
for the day when her mother would return.

Ruby Robinson becomes romantically involved with Jack and Dorian and Maria are shipped
away to boarding school in the country.

CONFLICT
The conflict in the story is presented in the relationship that Emma and her husband share. The
relationship is not one that is characterized by mutual love but is instead held together by the fact
that they are the parents of Dorian. The fact that Frank is being unfaithful to his wife takes away
from his relationship with his wife and family.

RESOLUTION
The conflict in the story is resolved tragically as Emma dies and the two girls (Dorian and Maria)
are sent away to boarding school by Mrs. Robinson (Mr. Yorks new woman). The resolution
leaves the reading feeling like good has lost and the bad has won out in the end. There is
however a glimmer of hope when Dorian states that they will play the game smarter as a result of
watching Emma play the game. The reader is left with a small amount of hope that when the
girls grow up they will be smarter women having observed Emmas tragic fall.

THEMES
Innocence

Cole presents the theme of innocence as the child narrator (Dory) is nave and really does not
fully understand the events that take place throughout the story. Dorian relays from her childish
point of view several incidents that to her contribute to the game she thinks the adults are
playing; however, as the readers we are aware of exactly what is taking place in these
encounters. This may be seen when her mother and father are being intimate with each other.
22
Love and Family Relationship

Family relationship plays a major role in the story Emma. The relationship between mother
and daughter is presented from two perspectives; these being the relationship between Emma and
Dorian and the relationship between Ruby and Maria. Cole presents these two relationships as
contrasting elements in the story as the relationship between Emma and Dorian is one that is
characterized by love and care; whereas the relationship between Ruby and Maria is one that is
done out of a sense of responsibility. The fact that Maria prefers to be Emma while the girls play
their game highlights the fact the Maria does not see her mother as a good example. She is
presented as an unhappy child who is treated badly by a mother is would rather send her off to a
boarding school.

The idea of a family is also questioned as Cole presents what is usually thought of as the most
stable of the various family units (the nuclear family); however, the York family is far from
stable and the only glimpse of stability that could be seen occurred when Emmas father visited
and confronted his son in law.

Friendship

The friendship between Dorian and Maria and Ruby and Emma were also examined in the story.
The innocence and care that was displayed in the friendship of the children was not reflected in
the friendship of the adults. Other emotions contaminate the adults relationship and as a result
their friendship is one that is not sincere. Emma refers to Mrs. Robinson as having the green
eyed monster and Ruby shows this by her envy of Emmas life.

Childhood Experience

The story occurs during the narrators childhood and as such this theme is also relevant. The
story presents the loss of a parent.

Dishonesty is evident in the story as all the characters, except Emma, are aware of Jacks
infidelity. His dishonest brings about Dorians conflict at eight years old, as she too knows of the
lady at the train station, with whom her father is having a secret relationship. Dorian wants to tell
her mother the truth as she feels that in this game it is her duty to be on her mommys side. Mrs.
Ruby Robinson is another dishonest character as she pretends to have Emmas best interest at
heart as she advises Emma to either have another baby or ensure that she accompanies Jack on
his outings. In fact she is jealous of Emma and the life that she has with Jack and Dorian.

23
The motif of the game appears throughout the story possibly due to the fact that the narrator is a
young child. The children play at being adults and this transcends into the actual lives of the
adults as they play each other. The children also see the life of adults as play. This motif is
sustained throughout the story and even in the end Dorian confirms this by reassuring Maria that
I learned a lot about this game. When its our turn to play, well play smarter. (Cole, p.58).

SYMBOLS

The name Jack is also symbolic as a Jack is one of the members of a deck of cards. Jack York ,
Emmas husband, is a player and has mastered the art of using the cards he is dealt to win the
game.

The deck of cards that Emma carries around in her purse is symbolic of life and the fact that
there are winners and losers in this game. The idea that your success depends on how well you
play the game is constantly repeated throughout the story. This symbol also indicates that each
person has an equal chance of winning or losing.

The joker usually introduces an element of change in a game of cards (depending on the game
being played). The joker in the story represents the person who loses the game and as Emma dies
with the joker in her hand she lost the game.

The appearance of the joker (the look of the card) also symbolizes the hypocrisy of such
characters as Mrs. Robinson and Jack. They are presented as two faced characters that deceive
others throughout the story.

The train station is symbolic as it is a place known for arrivals and departures. It is the place
that Emma arrives into the knowledge of her husbands infidelity and it leads to her departing the
land of the living as she exits the game as a result of death.

24
Georgia and them there United States
by Velma Pollard (Jamaican)

CHARACTERS
Leticia Green (Aunt Teach)

June

Junes mother

Georgia

SETTINGS
1950s

Jamaica

USA (Brooklyn New York)

SUMMARY OF STORY
Pollard explores the idea of love for ones country in the short story Georgia and them there
United State. The narrator, June is a young Jamaican who is given the opportunity to visit her
aunt who lives in the US. Aunt Teach presents the US as a place of possibilities and progress; the
story begins with a letter that Junes mother receives from her sister who has just become a
citizen of Uncle Sam. In this letter Leticia/ Aunt Teach reveals her disgust at the way her sister
and the children have to live on the backward island of Jamaica and states that she pities the
situation her family is in.

The narrator on the other hand is unable to see what her aunt sees in America as for her Jamaica
is a beautiful place that can never be replaced in her heart. Although intrigued by the clothes that
often come from the states the narrator does not feel in any way that America is better than her
beloved homeland. She visits the US and is very disappointed at what she sees; June is disgusted
by the filth and decay that surrounded her in the great United States of America.

25
She describes the change that she observes in her aunt and cousin who have assimilated to the
American culture. June describes her aunts face covered in makeup and her hair covered by a
wig and her cousin a laughing puppet that looks to her like a stranger.

In contrast the these women June represents all that is Caribbean/ Jamaican as she is proud and
confident with her low cut natural hair and naturally beautiful face. She writes to her father to
beg him not to others in the community that she is in the US as for her the experience is not one
that she wishes to share or boast about.

CONFLICT
The storys conflict is tied to Leticias disregard for her Jamaican heritage and her willingness
and eagerness to accept the American way of life.

RESOLUTION
The story ends with the narrator reinforcing her love for Jamaica as she states that she wants her
visit to the United States of America to remain a secret.

THEMES
Identity

The theme of identity is presented through the characters of June and her aunt Leticia. Pollard
presents June as a young woman who knows who she is and is proud of her nationality and
culture on the contrary Leticia is presented as an older woman who refuses to acknowledge and
accept her nationality and culture. Leticia willingly accepts

Love of country:

June appreciates her island home, Jamaica. The reader sees her lying on a crocus bag, under a
sour sop tree, simply appreciating the calm and peace that her island offers. She is mesmerized
by the beauty of the island, as seen when she simply relaxes and appreciates the 'clustered
greenery of orange trees as far as eye could see' [Pollard, 138]. Her profound love of country is

26
seen in her statement that she knew that no city could 'claim the grass-bound, hill-bound soul of
me.' [Pollard, 138].

Aunt Letecia's lack of appreciation of her island home, on the other hand, is a contrast to June's
attitude to Jamaica. Aunt Letecia refers to Jamaica as a 'down-graded' [Pollard, 137] place that
she is thankful that she does not have to set eyes on again. She is of the opinion that her relatives
are living in misery and is grateful that her daughter will 'escape the Kingston slums.' [Pollard,
137] Ironically, the appreciation that should be accorded for her place of birth is reserved for the
place that she chooses to live, the United States. Aunt Letecia's excitement over becoming an
American citizen is almost tangible, and is clearly seen in her praise of central heating, snow and
Coney island.

Love of self:

June's short natural hair is a testament to her confidence and love of self. She is not daunted by
her Aunt Letecia's dismissal of this look. Aunt Letecia, on the other hand, hides her hair under a
wig. June comments that her sister had warned her that 'in America the wig is the black woman's
good-morning-white-America-how-are-you before coffee, before prayers if any, before good
morning to your black mother who sleeps in the bed next to you.' [Pollard, 139]. This implies
that the black woman cannot function until she hides her natural qualities. This sentiment of
dismissal regarding one's birthright is accepted by Aunt Letecia, and, in turn, passed on to
Georgia, who is also seen wearing a long straight wig.

Family Relationship

The story is centered on the relationship between the narrator and her aunt who lives in the
United States of America.

SYMBOLS
The wig that Aunt Teach and the other black women wear to cover their heads is a symbol of
their assimilation into the western culture. They try to become American to fit in to the setting ijn
which they live. Aunt Teachs rejection of Jamaica is completed by her acquisition of citizenship
in America and is epitomized in the way she dresses.

27
The Two Grandmothers
by: Olive Senior (Jamaican)

CHARACTERS
Del

Elaine/Towser

The narrator

Maureen

Jason

Aunt Rita (Maureen and Jasons parent)

Uncle Rob (Maureen and Jasons parent)

Uncle Frank

Eulalie

Ermandine

Pearlie

Mr. Kincaid

Mr. Samuels

Melody-Ann

SETTINGS
Jamaica

Rural Jamaica

Urban Jamaica

28
SUMMARY OF STORY
Olive Seniors use of contrast to relay the experiences of the child narrator extends not just to her
presentation of the two grandmothers, but to the settings and even the narrator herself may be
contrasted. The story at a glance is divided into sections that indicate different periods in time
and different settings that are experienced by the narrator.

The story begins with the narrator at a very young age (this is indicated by her curiosity and her
innocence as it relates to certain matters). Sections one to three allows the reader to see the
innocence of a child in the narrator as she appreciates the experiences she has at both her
grandmothers houses. She is not critical or judgmental of other characters and she displays
genuine concern for those who are less fortunate than herself. She even attempts to correct the
inappropriate behaviour of her maternal grandmother, Towser, and uses the principles of the
Bible to guide the words she says to deter her grandmother.

As the story progresses the narrator grows older and begins to change; in contrast to the person
she was in sections one to three the narrator becomes judgmental, conceited and even callous in
the way she speaks about other individuals in sections four to seven. The innocence that
characterized the narrator as a child is lost by the time the story ends and she becomes a
reflection of her maternal grandmother, Towser. She no longer appreciates going to visit her
grandma Del and would prefer to go to her friends party and watch a soap opera instead to
visiting her once beloved grandmother.

CONFLICT
The narrators conflict is internal as she grows and discovers the type of person she wants to
become. There are also issues of race in the story that pose a problem for the narrators ability to
connect with all the members of her family. Her cousin Maureen presents this conflict in the
story.

RESOLUTION
The story ends with the narrator still in search of her true identity. It may be assumed that as the
narrator grows she will continue to change (for either the better or the worse). Although the
reader does not like the person the narrator has become at the end of the story it is a reality that
exists as children become older and go through the period of adolescence.

29
THEMES
Family Relationship

Traditional Views/Beliefs versus Modern Views/Practices

Innocence and loss of Innocence

Childhood Experience

Identity

Racism

Religion

Poverty

Friendship

30
Raymonds Run
by: Toni Cade Bambara (American)

CHARACTERS
Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker/ Squeaky

Raymond Parker

Gretchen P. Lewis

Rosie

Mary Louise

Cynthia Proctor

Raphael Perez

SETTINGS
New York

The May Day Event

SUMMARY OF STORY
Raymonds Run may be seen as both Raymonds and Hazels story. The story is told from
Hazels perspective and reveals the challenges she overcomes to retain her title as champion of
the fifty yards dash at the May Day event. Hazel shares with us as readers that she has duties
within her family/household while she also discloses who she is as an individual.

Hazel is charged with the task of taking care of her older but mentally challenged brother
Raymond. She carries Raymond everywhere she goes and does her best to keep him out of
trouble while practicing her breathing exercises and her running skills/techniques.

She is challenged at her pet event by the new girl in town, Gretchen P Lewis. Gretchens
chance at beating Hazel is complicated by the fact that Rosie and Mary Louis try to get under
Hazels skin by telling her that Gretchen will beat her at the race.

31
Hazel talks about who she is in light of other characters that possess less desirable qualities. For
example Cynthia Procter, who pretends that she does not practice spelling or playing the piano
and Raphael Perez who tries to win the race before he gets on the track by messing with the other
runners minds. Hazel reveals to us that her mother would like her to behave like girl but that
she, Hazel, is comfortable being who she is Squeaky, Mercury, Miss Quick Silver herself.

CONFLICT
The conflict in the story is between Hazel and Gretchen, her rival in the May Day event.

There is also the fact that society opposes Raymond because of his disability. This may be seen
when Mary Louis and Rosie attempt to belittle Raymond.

RESOLUTION
The story ends with Hazel being named the champion of the fifty yard dash after a close finish
between her and Gretchen. Hazel becomes aware of the fact that Raymond is not a helpless as
she had previously thought as he had learned how to run the fifty hard dash (in his own unique
way).

THEMES
Childhood Experience

Love and Family Relationship

Identity

Rivalry

The relationship among girls

32
Frangipani House
by Beryl Gilroy

Who is Berly Gilroy?

Guyanese writer and educator Beryl Gilroy was born August 30, 1924 and died April 4, 2001.
She is revered as one of Guyanas greatest novelist. Born in Skeldon village, Berbice county,
Guyana, Gilroy spend her early years being informally educated by her grandmother (who
believed that the child could learn more travelling around with her than she could at school) and
entered the formal school system at the age of twelve years old.

LIST OF CHARACTERS FROM THE NOVEL

Mabel King/ Mrs. King (Mama King)

Olga Trask (Matron)

Danny King

Token

Cyclette

Byson

Markey

Cindy

Soloman/Solo

Chuck

Abel (Mama Kings brother)

Franky

Ginchi Thorley

Carlton

33
Nurse Douglas

Nurse Carey

Nurse Tibbs

Nurse Agnes

Miss Mason

Mrs. Ida Gomez

Pandit Prem

Sumintra

Tilley

Ben Le Cage

Miss Turvey

Bubble Elder

Esteban

Dannys Mother

34
CHARACTER TRAITS (for main characters)

Mabel King/Mrs. King (Mama King)

Independent
Hardworking
Loyal
Caring
Stubborn
Determined
Selfless/Altruistic
Patient
Strong

Olga Trask

Power hungry
Deceitful
Uncaring/ Unkind
Insincere
Manipulative

Danny King

Abusive
Selfish
Uncaring

Ginchi Thorley

Caring
Loyal
Loving
Old fashion

35
Token and Cyclette

Resentful
Uncaring
Unappreciative
Selfish

36
SUMMARY OF THE NOVEL

West Indian writer Beryl Gilroy presents the experiences of Mabel King (Mama King) while she
is living in an old age home in her novel Frangipani House. After being sent to Eventide Home
by her two daughters (Token and Cyclette) as a result of being sick (with Malaria, Quincy and
Pleurisy) and being neglected by her relatives with whom she lived Mabel begins to feel
neglected and inadequate after several months in the home without so much as a letter from her
relatives. She resorts to memories/remembering in an attempt to hold on to her past life and
refuses to live in her present situation at the home. Her spirits are also lifted by the Sunday visits
of her friend Ginchi who reassures Mabel that she will get word to her relatives (living overseas).

The proprietor of the home is a middle aged woman by the name of Olga Trask (Matron).
Matron obtained her reputation of caring for the elderly after she returned home to take care of
her own dying mother. After her mothers death she opened the home and at the beginning of the
novel we are told that there are forty-three patients in her care. However, the third person
narrator hints at the fact that life at Eventide Home is not a happy one and that Matron is not as
loving and caring as she would have the families and the public believe. The third person
narrator calls Matron a PROPRIETRIX and a PREDATOR and refers to the old women at
the home as INMATES and their stay there as INCARCERATION. It is this description that
prepares us for the fact that the women in the home are not happy and that the environment at the
home restricts their freedom.

We are given snippets of Mabels past life through her memories/recollections. We learn that
Mama King took care of her grandchildren while her daughters lived overseas, her husband was
not present to help her raise and care for their two girls, she was pursued by several men whom
she all refused and that she also refused the opportunity to live abroad with her children. Mabels
memories however prove to be selective, as it is through the visit of an old suitor, Ben Le Cage,
(one of the men who pursued her) that we learn that her life with Danny was not as happy as her
memories made it out to be. Ben reveals that Danny was abusive and would beat Mabel for
trivial things. His visit angers Mabel; however, it does cause her to recall the truth about Danny.

Matron becomes the antagonist in the story as she opposes the dreams and desires of Mama
King. She treats the old woman cruelly and at times even tries to irritate Mabel by calling her
Marma King. Mabels imprisonment in Eventide Home is completed by the routine that is
practiced on a daily basis and she complains bitterly about the monotony of the home. This helps
to drive Mabel into an even deeper state of depression. She decides to run away from the home
after she is visited by her grandson (Markey) and promises of his return were too long in
coming.

She escapes under the cloud of a group of beggars and finds herself once again in a group that is
an outcast in the society. The irony of her situation can be seen as Mabel is accepted by the gang
of beggars and treated as one of their own. Although she has less to eat and there are no general

37
comforts in living with the beggars she feels more love and appreciation from the group of
homeless people than she did in the home that her children had paid for. Her stay with the
beggars lasted for four weeks and ended after she was attacked by two young men who thought
that she had money they could steal. Carlton recognizes Mama King as she lies in a bloody state
waiting for the paramedic and rushes of the inform Matron of Mama Kings fate. She is taken to
the hospital and we find out that her injuries are serious and she lies in a coma for days.

Her daughters (and grandchildren) return to the island and confront Olga in regards to their
mothers care. Token and Cyclette argue about where Mabel (Mama King) should stay and
after both women admit that they do not wish to take care of Mama King it is her granddaughter
Cindy and her husband Chuck who decide to take care of Mabel.

The story ends with Mabel finally finding love and attention within her own family. She no
longer shifts in and out of the past and the present in an unstable way but rather is at peace and is
able to reflect on the way her life has developed.

Mama Kings reprieve now allowed her time for easy free-ranging and reflection. Each

afternoon she sat pondering the number of times that life had reconstituted her-first as child,

then as woman, wife, mother, grandmother, mad-head old woman, beggar and finally old

woman at peace at last.

Frangipani House page120

38
SYMBOLS IN FRANGIPANI HOUSE

1. Frangipani House (the name the people of the village gave to the home)

In the town the home represented the place where old people would go to await death; however,
it was also seen as a better alternative to living with relatives who would mistreat the elderly.
The outside appearance of the home (it was well kept) contributed to how it was seen by the
people of the town.

To the women who lived at the home it was a place where they gave up their regular life for one
that was routine. It meant that their very identities (ability to choose) were taken away.

2. The mammee apple tree

This is a symbol of the infertility of the women in the home. The tree no longer bears fruit and
the women are in a similar position as they too have long past their fruitful age.

3.The breaking/shattering of the picture frame in Matrons office (the picture of her
mother) page 85

This may be seen as an indication of the shattering of the faade/farce that Matron tried to put up
about her loving her mother and caring for the elderly. It also foreshadows Matrons break down
after being confronted by Token and Cyclette.

4. The destruction of Ginchis house (by fire)

This represents the beginning of Carltons quest for manhood. He is forced to leave the nest
(the security of Ginchis house and what he knows)

5. The flowers Markey sent to the home with the taxi driver

The flowers were symbolic of Markeys appreciation and recognition of his grandmothers
sacrifice and contribution to his own life. In that instance he recognizes that his mother had
trusted Mama King completely to take care of him.

39
6. The window in her room at the home through which Mama King viewed the world.

The window was either foggy or clear and may be seen as an indication of Mabels own state of
mind while at the home. She sways in and out of lucidity as she recalls her past life and her
reality at the home. The window mirrors this.

THEMES IN THE NOVEL

Old Age

The Role of the Elderly/ The Treatment of the Elderly

Death

Family Relationship (The Role of the Young)

Friendship

Male-Female Relationship

Marriage

Masculinity/Manhood

Appearance versus Reality

Racism

Poverty

Migration

40