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Analysis Of Maud Martha

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Maud Martha is a novel by African-American poet Gwendolyn Brooks, her only work of prose fiction. First published in 1953, it follows the titular character Maud Martha as she grows from childhood to womanhood in a majority African-American neighborhood in Chicago over short vignettes. The story is loosely autobiographical from Brooks’ personal experiences. Written in a nonlinear narrative that uses poetic language over thirty-four short chapters, it explores themes of grief, love, loss, race, and the everyday indignities of urban life. It has been praised for its experimental writing style, as well as for its relatable lead character and the detailed way it describes everyday life in poetic language.

Maud Martha begins when the title character is a young girl, seven years old, and is envious of her older sister Helen, believing her to be much more beloved and cherished by their family. This theme of sibling envy pops up throughout the novel. Her family is a struggling, working class clan in Chicago, and the story takes place in an era when racism is very much part of the social structure. Maud is keenly aware that she is a black girl and that this affects her interactions with others in many ways. The first five chapters of the book introduce the reader to her childhood life, detailing fights between her parents, a visit to her school and playground, the family attending her grandmother’s funeral, and the time when a white acquaintance comes to visit the family house and
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