The Glass Bottle Trick By Nalo Hopkinson

In Nalo Hopkinson’s short story “The Glass Bottle Trick”, the complex exchange between race, gender, and self-image is vividly explored through the character of Samuel, whose disturbing preference for marrying only pale-skinned black women reveals a deep-rooted self-hatred of his dark-skinned complexion. There is also the idea of self-image through Beatrice’s character and the significance of her being a paler black woman. This story demonstrates a feminist analysis of how societal beauty standards, particularly related to skin color, can present themselves in personal relationships as they did in this story. The author’s exploration of Samuel’s self-loathing incorporates an examination of how systems of oppression, including colorism, help

Through a feminist lens, this analysis reveals the reciprocation of race, gender, and self-image by showing the significance of societal beauty and its impact on personal relationships. Samuel’s “preference” for paler black women reflects his internalized racism and self-hatred. His obsession with white skin became ironic after reading that “Samuel probably couldn’t have brought himself to approach a white woman the way he’d courted her (Beatrice)” (Hopkinson 75). Samuel feels inferior to people with whiter skin because of racism that has flooded society during slavery and segregation. He feels the need to try to flatter or win over white people, which is somewhat common within minorities in primarily white areas, but in his case, it took over his entire well-being. His “preference” for pale black women not only objectifies women based on their skin color, but also exposes Samuel’s deep insecurities and societal sense of

A study done by Coard, Breland, and Raskin (2001) on skin tone desirability that primarily focused on African American women and men and the dynamics of colorism that occurs in society when choosing a partner is the best pairing for the previous analysis of “The Glass Bottle Trick” by Nalo Hopkinson. An article by Lauren A. Fultz titled “The Psycho-Social Impact of Colorism Among African American Women: Crossing the Divide” that mentions the study focuses on mate selection among African Americans. It discusses how women of all skin shades are more interested in darker-skinned men, while men are more likely to go for women with lighter complexions. The study digs deeper to explain that African American men and women had these desires because they stemmed from slavery, “where darker-skinned men were viewed as more sexual and aggressive, while the lighter-skinned females were deemed to be more attractive and desirable” (Futz 22). This idea can connect to Samuel’s interest in Beatrice. He is mainly attracted to her because of her lighter complexion, which is almost a prearranged