Melba Beals Essay On Identity

When Melba Patillo Beals integrated Little Rock’s Central High School with eight other negro students, she entered a battlefield. She was fighting against student segregationists and ignorant officials for the right to equal opportunity, and this struggle had a lasting impact on her identity. Melba’s experiences with racism, not only at Central High School, but in her everyday life, molded her identity into that of a warrior. This comparison is apparent in three ways. First of all, Melba had a specific reason for integrating Central High School. Once inside the school she endured harsh treatment at the hands of her enemies. Finally, she became a stronger person in order to cope with the pressures of integration. All of these events in

Warriors seldom enter a battle unless they have a specific reason to fight. One might be fighting for one’s country, one’s family, or one’s religion, and Melba was motivated by all of these things. Ever since she was a toddler, she was aware of unfair racial boundaries and their impact on her family. For example, in Chapter 2 of Warriors Don’t Cry, Melba detailed a particularly humiliating shopping trip in which her family was purposely overcharged for their groceries by the white clerk (Beals 1994, 16). This episode caused Melba to realize that her family was defenseless against the crimes of the white people, and she suffered from a sense of insecurity whenever white people were around. This aspect of Melba’s life stemmed directly from her exposure to racism. Melba made it clear that she longed for a change in the status quo. Later in the second chapter of her story, Melba recalls her fascination with the idea of crossing a long standing racial boundary to see inside Central High School. When she gets the opportunity to integrate, her family decides that God must have wanted her to take on this challenge (Beals 1994, 21). Throughout the book, Melba is reminded by her family that integrating Central High is God’s mission for

She, like other warriors, had to adapt to her circumstances, and this formed another component of Melba’s identity that was directly related to racism. Because of the abuse she endured during the integration, Melba was forced to develop a strong mental wall. She took inspiration from her temporary bodyguard, Danny, who told her in Chapter 15 of Warriors Don't Cry that “‘In order to get through this year, you will have to become a soldier. Never let your enemy know what you are feeling’” (Beals 1994, 161). Throughout the book, Melba’s emotions became increasingly concealed. Keeping her feelings on lockdown helped her discover a tenacious spirit that guided her through tough situations. In Chapter 24, she surprised a student by graciously thanking him for several insults (Beals 1994, 260). Melba’s transformation from a naive, hopeful, girl to a resilient, mature, warrior is the most obvious example of how racism changed Melba. If Melba were kept safe from the racist threats and angry mobs, this part of her personality would never have formed. Therefore, racism did not only shape the events in Melba’s life; it altered Melba’s perception of herself and the