What Does Fair Skin Mean

This passage demonstrates a woman’s dependence on the man, which feeds into the idea that females are fragile and cannot survive on their own. Caroline fights hard and diligent to keep her father alive, but it shows that no matter how hard she tries, he was going to fail because she is female. The father’s death has ramifications in her life because she is lost and broken since she has no man in her life to protect her. In reality, she could’ve kept on with her hard work in order to make money for support, but the book wants to portray her as a destroyed little girl who needs to be saved by a man. Furthermore, Alphonse, Victor’s father, comes to rescue Caroline from poverty and loss and becomes her guardian angel. She needs to be protected and rescued even though she was strong enough to keep her father alive for many months and support herself as well.

Even though all the children were homeless, “vagrant” only describes the children who are not as light as the girl is. Rather than describing the girl’s hair as blonde, which typically is a trait of fair-skinned people, her hair is the “brightest living gold,” which makes her more beautiful than the rest due to her lighter features according to the plot. Furthermore, she has a “crown of distinction” that sets her apart, which shows her white privilege since she is chosen solely for her lighter skin, especially since, she wears the same exact thing as the