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Brownies Short Story Theme

620 Words3 Pages

In the story, “Brownies” by Z.Z. Packers the two main characters created different and clear ideas that shape the story. However, these two characters are oppositional of one another but carry the central theme to the story. With racism and human cruelty as the theme in the story, Laurel is our narrator and an observer in the story, her opinions and emotions are felt by the readers and acts as a flat character protagonist to Arnetta. It is notable that the character, Arnetta is very forceful and manipulative much the opposite of the frequently overlooked and ignored, Laurel. This Group of brownies came from the south suburbs of Atlanta where whites are “real and existing, but rarely seen...” (p.518). This groups impression of whites consisted …show more content…

Arnetta and the rest of the Brownie group were silent for the remainder of the camping trip, but on the bus home turn out to be different. Arnetta again instigated the troop in making fun of the troop 909 by quietly exaggerating movements of them, without laughing aloud. The Brownie group knowing the white girls were delayed still mocked them feeling temporarily retribution because they were white. Arnetta as an instigator of cruelty and Laurel as a narrative observer of opinions and emotions has shape the story of racism and human cruelty even with no negative intent. Laurel carries the story to the end with, a noticeable pattern with her father and the Mennonites. She relates to the brownies group reaction to the mentally delayed white girls’ troop that human being seek deliberate cruelty against another to feel momentary superiority. The desire of retribution has no

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