Essay On Danzy Senna's Caucasia

Although society advocates believing in a ‘sameness’ between people who are black or white, individuals are still organized by race, class, gender and sexuality into social hierarchies. These hierarchies essentially formulate stigmas that suppress certain races and discriminate against them. Caucasia written by Danzy Senna is focused around a young mixed girl, Birdie, who encounters obstacles in her life that help her form her own perceptions about issues regarding class, race, and sexuality. These obstacles fundamentally shape her to have a unique outlook on society where she begins to question white privilege and also sympathize towards the mistreatment of black individuals. Senna explores the fundamental problems that are associated

There were also different problems in the 1900’s such as Discrimination and prejudice. Prejudice in this novel is expressed or presented by disgust and misinterpretation because of the difference of people skin color. People of different skin color were the majorities that were treated unjustly. Throughout this period in America, the southern states, black people had to exercise and use separate bathrooms from whites, as well as drinking fountains, section in restaurants, and even go to separate schools. Furthermore, a great deal of the discrimination was aimed towards black people; there were abundance of explanation towards poor families by individuals that have the riches. Discrimination is rampant when groups’ of people that are different are called names.

McLaurin caught interest in a girl named Charlotte Humphries who had been a schoolmate of his since the first grade. Blue eyes, blonde hair, having the complexion of a white girl, he was impressed and did not think pursuing wanting to date her would be a problem. However, regardless of his feelings, his mother disagreed and insisted that Charlotte would not be a good idea for him. McLaurin’s grandmother began to explain to him that he “just shouldn’t” pursue her, mentioning that the story behind it all goes back a long time ago. She explained that Charlotte’s great-grandmother was someone who was a “mulatto nigra”. Some mulattos pass as white, even though they are not, if they are light enough and that is what happened with Charlotte’s great-grandmother. Even though Charlotte was blue eyed blond hair, McLaurin could not pursue her simply because black ancestry was in her blood.

The black characters in the novel are all victims of this “separate but equal” mentality; the younger characters yearn for real equality and the older characters have settled in to their lives by accepting their “fate.” The existing structures of society in Bayonne, Louisiana prevent black characters such as Grant Wiggins and Vivian from ever breaking out of their social class; both are forced to remain in their lives as teachers of young black children who will also grow up to live limited lives. Wiggins says of his classroom, “I’m the teacher... and I

Throughout the novel many problems occur. Some of the main problems are racial and equality issues. Events in this book show how prejudice and intolerance can ruin numerous friendships and change lives.

The article Racial Etiquette #1 explains how unfairly blacks were treated along with the actions of blacks and white in reaction to the expected rules of society. This article shows how it was normal for blacks to be discriminated against by explaining their expected behaviors. “A black came to the back door, not the front door, of a white man’s house. He was received, if at all, in the kitchen or porch, not in the living room” (paragraph 4). It was normal for blacks to be treated like they were less than whites, and it was expected for them to accept this and act in ways that reflect this notion.

In the novel Caucasia, Birdie and Cole try to change their identity. Cole believed that they were not “black enough”. Cole even said, “We talk like white girls, Birdie” and they tried to speak broken English, so that they would fit in better in their school. Cole already had an advantage because she looked like the rest of the kids, but Birdie had to do a complete transformation. Birdie changed her hair and wardrobe. Cole changed some things about herself as well such as her hair using Jergen’s Lotion and wearing lipstick. The girls got all these ideas from a magazine Cole stole from Nkrumah. Once they made these transformations Cole was one of the most popular girls in the school and Birdie was beginning to make friends (Senna 53- 65). Birdie finally began to understand the meaning of acceptance. Omi and Winant state,

Many of the characters who associate with middle-class white culture feel the need to separate themselves from lower-class blacks whom they identify as lazy and criminals “I destroyed white baby dolls….The truly horrifying thing was the transference of the same impulses to little white girls." (pg. 22). "White[ness]" is associated with value, virtue, and cleanliness while being black is associated with immorality, dirtiness, and the sense of being disposable. The novel involves mostly black characters and due to this the idea of being white exists on a spectrum. Race is not only decided by the genetic make-up of one's appearance and skin, the shape of one's features, or the texture of one's hair, but also by one's place of origin, socioeconomic class, and educational background “... his mother did not like him to play with niggers. She had explained to him the difference between colored people and niggers. They were easily identifiable. Colored people were neat and quiet; niggers were dirty and loud” (pg. 53). These ideas of race being valuable became a main point in the story. And by internalizing these ideas about race the main characters ultimately obtained a racial self-hatred, which created various forms of dysfunction in the characters'

Identity is socially constructed. The way society stereotypes an individual, defines society’s perception of an individual. In Danzy Senna’s “Caucasia” Birdie conceals her bi-racial identity and always feels the need to choose between existing as a black girl and existing as a white girl. Another female character in “Caucasia” is Sandy, Birdie’s white mother, who covers up her last marriage with a black man by getting into a new relationship with a white man. Additionally, Sandy conceals her revolutionary tactics by moving to New Hampshire. Finally, in Jesmyn Ward‘s novel “Salvage The Bones,” Esch conceals

In the states, there is an idea of white privilege and unfair advantage. People of white descent are thought to have an advantage before they are even born. They go on their whole lives living “the dream” in the suburbs and never have to worry about unfair treatment or worries of the common world. In some ways this statement in extremely true. This novel makes the reader aware of the real world around them, especially people who have been a part of this dream.

Senna also examines whiteness and its social construction from the character Birdie’s standpoint in the novel. Standpoint refers to the location or place within the relationship of domination and subordination, that affects what people see or do not see. Ruth Frankenberg (1993) argues that there is a direct relationship between experience and standpoint. She argues that those who are the oppressed in the systems of domination are more likely to see the structure of domination because they experience it (Frankenberg, p.5). In Caucasia, Birdie can see whiteness in ways others can not due to the fact that Birdie sits on the boundary of whiteness. In fact, for this same reason Birdie can see blackness in ways that others can not. To the “black” community Birdie is seen as “white”, but in comparison to the “white” community she feels like she is

When the girl says that the boy “has the casual cold look of a mugger” we can see that the girl has been blinded to automatically think that African Americans are bad people that are associated with crime and violence. Also, she states that she “is living off his life.” This adds on to the subject of superiority. The girl believes that she has everything the black boy desires and more. In history, this is called white supremacy: the belief that the white race is better than any other race.

Caucasia written by Danzy Senna, is similar and yet different compared to Song of Solomon. In Caucasia, Birdie is a young bi-racial girl, in which she is the daughter of a black man and white woman. While Birdie appears and passes for white, she embraces her black identity even more so. Birdie is torn apart from those she loves, yet she undergoes a journey to find them. In Song of Solomon, there is an all black family- the Dead family, that struggles within itself and within an all black community. Milkman is born into a world that is divided between black and white. Throughout the novel he develops as a person with the help of a wise family member and his own experience. According to June Jordan, “Affirmation of Black values and lifestyle within the American context is, indeed, an act of protest.” (Notes Toward a Black Balancing of Love and Hatred, 47) Through affirmation of Black values and lifestyle, Caucasia and Song of Solomon show instances of Black protest in the form of Birdie’s and Milkman’s characters, their relationship to their black communities and family, and the adventures that they undergo to find answers.

One of the key elements in the story is the subject of racism. The book deals with Southern racism during the 1930’s. The story shows that injustice happens because of race. It always shows that just because a person is of a certain race doesn’t mean they are

Addison’s internalized white privilege is shown when Reggie first asks Addison to no longer say the N-word. When Addison questions, “Wait, so it’s bad if I’m just repeating what’s in the song?” it becomes clear that Addison is portrayed as unsympathetic in the text because he is unaware of the dehumanizing power the term has on Black people in America. Since the N-word is more commonly used as slang now in our society, he believes that it is acceptable for him to say, however, what he does not realize is that violence will always be present in the word when used by non-Black people even if it is said without malicious intent. Due to the fact that the N-word has