Miss Mary Analysis

36. The third eye when used in pieces of literature normally represents all seeing, for the third eye is able to sense what ones two eyes cannot. By the narrator suggesting that he was being examined by a man with his third eye open, he is implying that the man saw the narrator for what he was, a blank slate not skewed by the systematic oppression in society, which dictates ones views. Under this examination the narrator is no longer invisible, for the third eye is all seeing and all knowing, the blindness which is possessed by ones regular eyes cannot blind the third eye, thus suggesting that the narrator for that instance in time was treated as an equal, regular man.

37. The men “treating” the narrator are actually experimenting on the

Miss Mary serves as a motherly figure to the narrator, Miss Mary represents safety and comfort to the narrator because she gave the narrator housing and food without immediate payment. Miss Mary represents the good in the narrator life while he is in the north, bringing a sense of family and structure to the narrator’s life.

41. The narrator feels alienated for he has “lost his sense of direction,” the narrator’s mentality has been broken which causes him to feel dissociated from society. Likewise, the narrator feels increasingly alienated because he is still struggling with re-discovering his self and his entire existence, which causes the narrator to diverge from society for how can he be amongst the populous when he barely knows himself. Continuing the narrator feels alienated because he feels like he lacks control over himself and will become a menace to society.

42. Yams represent a racist stereotype, for white people assume that all black people love yams. By the narrator willingly eating the yams in broad daylight he is showcasing that he is no longer afraid of the racism and social constructs for he is expressing his freedom to act however he wants without listening to the opinions of other white people, judging him for acting so stereotypical in their eyes, when in fact the narrator unironically loves a good buttered yam. When the narrator eats the yams, his new ideals are expressed, for the narrator is no longer afraid to act against his

The narrator throughout his speech refers to the audience as “law-abiding people,” which suggests that the audience should try and not act out and attack the white man who is evicting the old black couple, for it only shows society how ill-mannered and continually enforces the racist stereotypes of black people during the time period. By the narrator suggesting to the audience to not act upon their anger, this allows for the audience to strategically come together in order to fight the eviction, showcasing that black people can in fact unite and become one entity strong enough to fight the white man oppressor and gain equality in society, through intellect and protest rather than riots and fights as suggested by the narrator in his speech.

44. The main reason the narrator accepts the job so quickly is that the narrator has finally realized how much he has taken advantage of Miss Mary, for he has never paid her any rent in the time that he has lived under her roof. The narrator feels guilty for never paying Miss Mary, for she does so much, giving him shelter and food, and once the narrator realizes Miss Mary is experiencing money issues he quickly accepts the job in order to pay Miss Mary back and help her out