Comparisions

The two texts I have for my analysis are ‘How it Feels to Be Colored Me’ by Zora Neale Hurston and ‘Desiree’s Baby’ by Kate Chopin. As one reads both of the stories the common link between both of them is blatantly obvious. The behavior of the protagonists towards race and how it showed their characteristics through them. The characteristics of the woman is the key points of stories.

In ‘How it Feels to Be Colored Me’ Zora is portrayed to be a strong individual woman, who believes in herself at a time where her race was looked down upon. As a child she grew up in a black neighborhood and was proud about her race, her culture. While in ‘Desiree’s Baby’ our protagonist is adopted. She is clueless about her race of her biological parents. When she is doubted to be black kid because of her child being mixed, she does not take the news well and repeatedly tries to convince people around that she is not indeed black. Unfortunately no one, including her husband who she loved dearly, believed her. She is forced to leave her husband’s house with the baby and in the end it is shown in all actuality it was not her who was black. While one reads these stories the immediate thought that comes in one’s mind is their outlook towards themselves and how self secured and self believing the girls are. Their outlook towards race is also brought up here. On one hand Zora is proud of her ethnicity, she does not shy away from being black while on the second Desiree can not stand the thought of being black not because she does not like it, she justifies herself to be white just because her parents are her husband would be proud of a black child. This just goes on to show the readers how secure Zora is about herself. Not only does she accept herself the way she is, she also takes proud of her own individuality. Desiree has need to be accepted. She wants to please everybody and make them happy at the cost of her own self and beliefs. She does not have her individuality.

Both the...