Goldie Barajas
English 15 Literature & Society
3/16/11
One of the “isms”: Racism
Chapter 19, from the novel Coffee Will Make You Black by April Sinclair is focused on Stevie’s struggle against racism. Stevie, who is also the narrator and protagonist, is in Nurse Horn’s office suffering from menstrual cramps in this chapter. She is sixteen-years-old and in her 3rd year of high school. The narrator now has a boyfriend as well, which creates the conflict between her and Nurse Horn’s concern towards the narrator getting pregnant just like the rest of the black girls the nurse had seen in school, this implying racism. It is 1969 and sexual intercourse is becoming more popular to teenagers especially given the fact that during one’s teen years hormones are jumping up and down never settling in peace. Nurse Horn is aware of this and tries to warn Stevie about not getting pregnant but the nurse’s mistake was making the generalization that because Stevie is black she might end up pregnant too and become another statistic. Stevie gets offended at this stereotype based on race and snaps at the nurse and makes it clear that not because she’s black she’s going to end up pregnant.
All this occurs in an era in which black people are still trying to get equal opportunities, and break through the stereotypes white people have created about them. Stereotypes that denigrate the ability of black people to perform good manners, run a business or gain an education. Therefore, setting is crucial for this chapter. If the author would have put the protagonist, Stevie, in another era, place or time then the chapter or the whole novel in general would have been different and not have the same impact on me as a reader because the era and place explore the theme of the book which I believe for it to be racism, colorism, and growing up issues. These themes are still manifested in today’s life but they are not as shocking and intense as they were in the 1960s, a time in which African Americans were in search of equality fighting for their Civil Rights.
Moreover, in this chapter the narrator continues to show the reader her value for popularity and her tendency to be impulsive. In previous chapters like in chapter one, we see the narrator wanting to be friends with Carla because she believes being Carla’s friend will make her popular; since, Carla appears to be popular in school. Now the narrator’s tendency to be impulsive is a character trait I have seen throughout the novel especially in this chapter when she snaps at Nurse Horn when the nurse gets concerned at the narrator’s risk of getting pregnant. In addition, we also see a new value and a new character trait of the narrator which are: her value for having a boy friend, Sean, who is getting her attention from people in school since Sean is cute and a senior. Being with a senior was respected and seen as “cool” and impressive in Stevie’s high school. Stevie also demonstrates bravery in this chapter. Bravery is a character trait Stevie portrays when being determined to step up to Nurse Horn compared to when she was a 6th grader quiet and respecting of the rule of not talking back to adults. In the 6th grade she would have probably stayed quiet and not talk back to an adult but now Stevie is showing us a new side of her and her bravery and determination not to stay quiet anymore and speak up her mind out when she needs to.
It seems to me Stevie is trying to achieve her balance in life throughout the novel. This novel is a growing up issues novel and Stevie is dealing with trying to fit in, the need to belong to a group of people who are different from her. Stevie is in search of her identity but racism, colorism, and growing up issues are getting in her way. I feel that by the end of the novel she will eventually find herself or at least that’s how the novel seems to be developing itself chapter to chapter. As far as an antagonist, the social force of racism is still alive in this chapter. Nurse Horn’s concern for Stevie’s risk of getting pregnant and Stevie ending up another statistic comes to show how black people were looked down upon. Nurse Horn immediately assumed that just because Stevie was black and had a boyfriend that could lead her to ending up pregnant, a stereotype Nurse Horn has created due to seeing many black girls pregnant. But the protagonist being Stevie struggles to get Nurse Horn to understand that having a boyfriend and being black does not lead her to having sex and ending up with a pregnancy. This is a pretty tough topic to argue about but Stevie manages to get through it due to her showing signs of valuing her race and self.
Nevertheless, two new characters are introduced to the novel; these two are Sean, Stevie’s boyfriend, and Nurse Horn, the school’s nurse. As far as two values of each I would say Sean values Stevie and being in a non-catholic school full of boys only. I conclude this because when Stevie is in the nurse’s office Sean goes and checks up on her. He makes her his girlfriend which shows he cares and values her because he chose to be with Stevie out of all of the other girls he could have chosen to be with. He is also glad to be at Southside High School because here he is not captured in a religious school in which he was surrounded by boys and now as he tells Stevie when they first met, he is“…ready to have some fun this year.” As far as the nurse, from her dialogues I can see she values Stevie as well because she gets concerned about her and she tells Stevie she cares about her and her having a good life. The nurse sees potential in Stevie and that is something else the nurse values, potential in individuals and their ability to achieve more than what they think they can. Both characters serve as support for the protagonist at the end because Sean makes her happy and gives her the popularity she needs and Nurse Horn just made her feel special about herself.
In addition, sexuality is woven into this chapter from the beginning. At first, Stevie meets Sean they have a connection and he invites her to get a milkshake clearly implying he is interested in Stevie and next we have the whole issue about pregnancy with Nurse Horn obviously involving the topic of having unprotected sex and it’s consequences. This involving both major and minor characters. Now I do not see any GLBT motifs manifesting themselves in the chapter but I did read something that might involve GLBT motifs in the future chapters. Towards the end getting close to her conclusion the narrator changes of attitude towards Nurse Horn feeling shy and complimented at the fact that Nurse Horn is telling the narrator she has potential and that she cares about her and when they both hug the narrator feels good about it. Now in her conclusion, the narrator clearly states she was glad Nurse Horn wasn’t married because she would hate the fact of having to think of Nurse Horn going home to take care of a husband instead of thinking about her. This is a thought that left me, as the reader, thinking that maybe the narrator might give us a surprise in the future chapters.
Consequently, a social-political topic I saw arising was the sexual revolution amongst teenagers. This issue ties in with sexual awakening, number one on the Growing Up Thematic Issues list. This can impact the protagonist because she may decide to either have sex or not to have sex. It can trigger her to stop being a virgin in order to fit in with the rest of the girls having sexual intercourse or to not want to have sex at all.
In conclusion, I find a relevant connection with this novel because many of the issues Stevie is struggling against I experienced as well. When I was a teenager I too wanted to fit in. I struggled against the stereotype that a Latina, first generation high school graduate couldn’t make it to college or anywhere else than to work for minimum wage. People signaled a Latina girl as someone that would end up being a house wife with millions of children along her side and here I am going on my third year of college. Unfortunately racism, colorim and stereotypes don’t seem to come to an end but fortunately one can end those “isms” and stereotypes mentally in order to keep them from impeding one’s self to achieve one’s real identity not the identity people have signaled you to have.
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