The Marrow of Tradition Essay - 1475 Words

As the United States developed and grew, upward mobility was central to the American dream. It was the unstated promise that no matter where you started, you had the chance to grow and proceed beyond your initial starting point. In the years following the Civil War, the promise began to fade. People of all races strived to gain the representation, acknowledgement and place in this society. To their great devastation, this hope quickly dwindled. Social rules were set out by the white folk, and nobody could rise above their social standing unless they were seen fit to be part of the white race. The social group to be impacted the most by this â€Å"social rule† was the African Americans. Black folk and those who were sympathetic to the idea of†¦show more content†¦This is supported by the idea that race was determined by one’s environment, that was in turn determined by the color of one’s mother. (Williams, 2006) Olivia is of a white race, with both father and mother being white. She is happy and content with a privileged white life. Janet, on the other hand, is the daughter of a black maid and a white man. When Janet’s father died, his will was taken and hidden secretly by Polly Ochiltree, Olivia’s aunt. This meant that Mrs. Polly kicked the maid Julia and her daughter Janet out of the house. As a result, Janet is pronounced black and left nameless, with no money or hope looking towards the future. Despite Olivia’s opportunity to have whatever she desires, she is still jealous of Janet in some ways. For example, seeing Janet with her son, made Olivia fall into a fit of hysterics. As Miss Jane put it, â€Å"So ter-day,w’en Mis’ Livy wuz out ridin’ an’ met dis yer Janet wid her boy, an’ w’en Mis’ Livy got ter studyin’ bout her own chances, an’ how she mought not come thoo safe, she jes’ had a fit er hysterics right dere in de buggy.† (Che snutt pg. 7). Throughout the entire novel, Olivia and Janet play this game of who is worth more on a personal level. Pre-Civil War, there were many free black men and women. Most of these women became mistresses to the white Creole men of New Orleans in a system called plaà §age. The men would choose their mistresses at the Quadroon Balls. The QuadroonShow MoreRelatedThe Marrow Of Tradition And House Of Mirth2043 Words   |  9 PagesKrista Young 05/11/2015 Thought and Society Chestnutt/Wharton Essay Assignment The Marrow of Tradition and House of Mirth Class, gender, and race are just a few of the classifications that have directly impacted one’s financial, legal, and personal freedoms throughout history. There are several examples in Charles Waddell Chesnutt’s The Marrow of Tradition and Edith Wharton’s House of Mirth that will shed light to the many situations in which the characters find themselves that display the sortRead More Charles Chestnutt’s The Marrow of Tradition Essay1173 Words   |  5 PagesCharles Chestnutt’s The Marrow of Tradition Based on historical events, Charles Chestnutt’s The Marrow of Tradition, gives human details to produce a vivid picture of life in the south after the failure of reconstruction. His work has many underlying themes among which are the use of the press to stir already volatile emotions through propaganda, class structure not only along color lines but within races, and the effects of the white supremacists’ agenda on the integrity of those who claimedRead MoreThe Marrow Tradition By Charles Waddell Chestnut1172 Words   |  5 PagesLovena Frazil African American Literature Professor Anderson October 7th , 2014 The Marrow Tradition The Marrow Tradition written by Charles Waddell Chestnut is novel that portrays the struggles that African- Americans face against white supremacist in the south. It introduces many different characters and how each deals with these issues. It also exposes the different ideas white people has against freed African Americans. There are several different instances they show their unchanging ideasRead More Charles W. Chestnutts The Marrow of Tradition Essay823 Words   |  4 PagesCharles W. Chestnutts The Marrow of Tradition      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Clearly, one can expect differing critical views of a novel; from the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   authors perspective we see one view, from a publishers another, and from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   the reviewers yet another. This is especially true of Charles W.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chesnutts   The Marrow of Tradition. If one observes both the contemporary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   reviews of the novel and letters exchanged between Chesnutt and his   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   friends and publisher, HoughtonRead MoreSlavery Victims Pain in Uncle Toms Cabin and The Marrow of Tradition2488 Words   |  10 Pagessoul in trauma paints a poignant picture of the problems and social changes America faced both during slavery as well as after its abolition. This is evident in Harriet Beecher Stowes Uncle Toms Cabin and Charles Chesnutts The Marrow of Tradition where the wounding of both the physical body and emotional soul features strongly throughout both texts. Published in 1853 after the passing of the Fugitive Slave Law, Uncle Toms Cabin tells of the circumstances of various slaves as they encounterRead MoreChestnutt Genuinely Embraces The Challenges Of Tradition1271 Words   |  6 Pagesembraces the challenges of tradition and presents them in a unique way as well. The Marrow of Tradition provides a sociological outlook about race relations post slavery and pre-civil rights movement. Chestnutt focuses on the disenfranchisement of the black man as well as the advocacy of staunch white supremacy. Chestnutt conveys deeply rooted ancestral traditions widely held by white supremacists and challenges those traditions throughout the novel. Chestnutt abides by the tradition that is being presentedRead More Blacks and the Media Essay example1264 Words   |  6 Pagesracism of the media continues to not only be detrimental to the white consumers, who base what they know about blacks by what is represented in television, but also the black consumers, who grow up with a false sense of identity. In The Marrow of Tradition, author Charles W. Chesnutt illustrates examples that signify the thoughts that whites had of and used against blacks, which are still very much prevalent in public opinion and contemporary media. Chesnutt writes, â€Å"Confine the negro to thatRead MoreHow Does Globalization Affect Cultural Traditions in the Arabic Communities?923 Words   |  4 PagesThe modern phenomena of globalization is having effects on Arab cultural traditions in Arab communities in many ways, like in language, education, media and customs. Globalization is making the world becoming a global village and the result is Arab communities cultural traditions are changing and are threaten to be lost . Globalization is not easy to define, but we can say it is process of integrating the worlds economies, trade, business and communications together. The problem is the cultureRead MoreBenefits Of A Bone Marrow Transplant1338 Words   |  6 PagesWhen I think of birth, I have realized that my thoughts have been shaped around personal experiences. To me, birth comes in many forms, more than just the traditional child birthing. When you have a bone marrow transplant, you are â€Å"rebirthed†. I have my normal birthday, and my new birthday. My new birthday gave me a second chance at life and to me that is exactly what birth is -a chance at life. I can relate this to Portier’s view, although he uses it in the sense of a newborn. He says, â€Å"Babies representRead MoreThe Wilmington Riots Of 1898845 Words   |  4 PagesInspired by the Wilmington Riots of 1898, Charles Chesnutt delves deep into the racial tensions of the South in his novel On the Marrow of Tradition. Desp ite being set well after the end of the Civil War, the struggle between the black and white races is far from over. The white race insists on maintaining complete control in every aspect of society, including personal matters. They are constantly demanding that the black community serve them. On the other end, the black race is struggling to survive