This reading overall made me feel sad and exhausted. Not in a dramatic way, but because Jose’s life was just… reality. It was precisely the coming of youth, and the cards were never in his favour. Knowing that this novel was in part autobiographical makes sense to me. I think the most saddening character to me was M’man Tine. As a poor, black woman, she had long accepted her fate, so she decided to pour all her efforts and hard work into Jose instead. Although she seems harsh from Jose’s point of view in the beginning of the novel, as readers, we can see the hours she puts into her work – which is why she gets so mad when she initially comes home to see a broken bowl and Jose’s torn clothes. In a way, this reminds me of my own parents and grandparents. While I know that they want the best for me (in their mind), I often feel frustrated because that’s not what I necessarily want for myself. I also get scared because I don’t want to disappoint them or avoid living up to their expectations, similar to how Jose wants to frolic and have fun, but also wants to be seen as a ‘good child’ without the consequences of being too rambunctious (yelling and beatings).
M’man Tine seems to think that the only way Jose can have a good life is to escape Black Shack Alley, lest he suffer the same fate she did. This desire looks like pushing Jose into school, entering the bacculereate. However, when part 3 of the novel started, I felt heavy once more. When Jose was only offered a quarter scholarship, where they would have to pay the rest in order to ‘redeem’ or ‘benefit from’ the quarter scholarship, his mother talked about how they were doing this on purpose.
“They are too wicked! It’s because we’re black, poor and alone in
the world that they didn’t give you a full scholarship. They fully realise that I’m an unfortunate woman and that I couldn’t pay for you to go to the lycee. They know only too well that giving you a quarter scholarship is the same as not giving you anything at all. But they don’t know what a fighting woman I am. Well! I’m not giving up this quarter scholarship. You will go to their lycee!” (p. 125)
This situation made me think about how prevalent systemic racism is, and how you can never truly avoid it. While M’man Tine thinks Jose will live a better life (I can’t disagree), the circumstances he has to suffer under are similarly dismal. Giving into this scholarship would practically be giving into their ‘taunt’, but Jose and his family have no other choice. So, they have to continue suffering under this system of cylical racism instead of ‘escaping’ like M’man Tine wishes. As they say, out of the frying pan and into the fire? It makes me sad because this is what reality looks like, and it’s difficult to truly escape from these systems without giving into them for your own benefit.
So, I would like to ask: Do you see Jose’s pursuit of education as ‘liberation’ the same way his family does?
5 replies on “Black Shack Alley: Systemic Racism”
Perhaps the most terrible thing about racism, as you say, is that it can disguise itself in so many different ways. José’s “emotional education” involves learning to identify these forms of violence from childhood and to navigate the discrimination he faces in all areas of life.
M’man Tine was the saddest part for me too, her whole life being about sacrifice and not reaping any benefits from Jose’s future, just a truly selfless person. As to your question, I think education is a temporary liberation, or I thought of it as a ‘level-up’, with more obstacles and barriers to meet him at all of the next steps as well, more than a all-in-one golden ticket out.
M’man Tine was such a tragic character! Everything she endured was for her family, and she worked so hard to make sure they didn’t end up in the situation she did, even if it would’ve been easier for her. I hate how she never truly got to reap any of the benefits of her sacrifices, and she never got to see what Jose would become.
Hi Kimberly!
M’man Tine’s sacrifices for José were heartbreaking, and it made sense to me that she saw education as the only path to “liberation”. Unfortunately, I think education may be the only option other than staying at the plantation in the system set up against them. So for José, perhaps education isn’t actual liberation, but moreso a path to more opportunities. There, he will have to face the same discrimination and prejudice, but at least he has those opportunities in the first place because of education
I really like the way you worded and organized your ideas. Systemic racism is something that is emphasized in this book in a way that makes it more seen and understood. When being black is seen like a disadvantage, it shows the social inequality and challenges that many face. It’s a very eye opening book how some have to work harder than others just because the class or race they were born in, this is pure stupidity in my opinion… everyone should have the same opportunities and equality. Thank you for pointing this out, it is a very important aspect of the book.