Mississippi Trial 1955 By Chris Crowe

Lessons are something that can be learned from just about anything in life. These life lessons can be learned from school, books, and even everyday experiences. Books, however, tend to give readers more relatable lessons which can be applied to everyday life. In Mississippi Trial 1955, Chris Crowe tries to teach his readers that racism is a learned behavior, the loss of innocence is able to strengthen character, and the ignorance of someone else can leave negative impacts on their peers and the world. The first theme Crowe tried to show us is that racism is a learned behavior. This theme is portrayed through Grampa’s speech. “God made negroes to work the land” (Crowe 8). Grandpa is pushing his thoughts and opinions onto Hiram and wants him to make sure Hiram believes in what Grampa believes in. “Our way of life is

Crowe is able to teach this using a bridge. There are two sides to this bridge, one being Greenwood, Mississippi and the other side being Teape, Arizona. When someone “crosses” this bridge it means that they have realized how Greenwood truly is and have transitioned to the other side of the world or in other words, losing their innocence. Hiram was finally able to cross this bridge and he was able to see the rest of the world for how it truly is. “I remembered how he felt about Negroes, and didn’t plan on saying anything to him about Emmett and the river” (Crowe 67). This is when Hiram started to make his way across the bridge and was starting to understand that the way Grampa had taught him all his life was not the only way to live. Many years later, Hiram decided to come back to Greenwood to visit and as soon as he got there he realized that racism and discrimination was something that was engraved in Greenwood. It was not something he was experiencing back home in Arizona so when he came back, it truly built his