Literary Analysis Essay on What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons

Introduction

In Zinzi Clemmons' novel "What We Lose" presents the protagonist Thandi a colored daughter borne of a South African and African American father. The plot of the narrative presents a girl raised in a wealthy and well to do family in a discriminative society. Clemmons presents the contrast of the main character's life after the death of her parents. In the development of the plight of the women of color in the American society of the age and their immigrant children, Thandi is pregnant right after the death of her mother for her boyfriend who refuses to take responsibility. After the loss of her sole anchor, her mother, she was ready to become a parent herself when her baby was born they move to New York City for them to bring up the baby together. This paper will discuss the plight of colored women and their immigrant children as she develops the theme of loss and grief.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Thandi proclaimed her identity as a betweener because she had white skin but with foreign roots. Through the self-characterization of the protagonists her confused feelings over whether she was African or American In Zinzi Clemmons' novel, "What We Lose" the story revolves around Thandi grown up in abject poverty and he hated the pathetic situations life placed him. He believed that for him to break the vicious lineage of poverty in his family lineage would be broken by joining high school outside the reservation. In his writing, Clemmons depicted different social issues that emerged due to the societal placing of different individuals like personality and identity issues, the vices of alcoholism, poverty, and the significance of death. Therefore, the book is able to draw vivid images of the characters for the reader. The story is able to bring out the self-identity as a social concept to explain in depth situations and reasoning of Thandi as the primary character and others surrounding his story.

Thandi's self-perception and contextualization of situations surrounding his life in the Spokane African American Reservation outline distaste of what life in poverty was offering him. As Clemmons developed Thandi's character self-concepts are depicted very strongly. Clemmons states that self-concepts are the basic elements that define an individual based on the way he or she thinks about himself and reasons as to why one behaves in certain ways. Self-concept is not a static element of personality. It is flexible and contingent in relation to the change of important aspects that define an individual's way of thinking about self.

Initially, Thandi holds very low self-esteem of himself and the kind of life he was leading. His understanding of self-concept showed how poverty in the Spokane African American Reservation had nothing to offer them. His best friend Rowdy grew up in very harsh conditions at home under his abusive father making him become brutal to the society. These conditions that surrounded their life did not give them any chance to become anything better in life. They perceived themselves as failures. The desperation of junior to come out of the poverty made his cry out for escape. The self-image drawn initially in the story depicts pathetic frustrations with no workable dreams or hope. Junior shows in self-concept when he refers to himself as "a poor-ass living with a poor-ass family on the poor ass Spokane African American Reservation". This self-explanation showed that Thandi behaved and idealized himself due to the social situation he finds himself in the reservation. His self-concept associates with the situation and aspects surrounding his life. At this point, he is not able to liberate himself from self-pity and desperation. The harsh situations one finds himself in makes him aggressive to change the situations or arrogant to those around him. The extent of self-realization should help drive a person to new hope and pursue his dreams.

Later in the book, Thandi is able to move from his low self-esteem due to the challenges and opportunities life had to offer to him. Also, her physical challenges associated with his hydrocephalus condition made him picked by others very easily. Despite the continuous misfortunes surrounding his life, Junior believed he had a better chance to change his life and that of "his fellow tribesmen". The initial self-pity and self-concept were changed when life outside the reservation offered him a better opportunity to change his destiny. Through this self-concept, Thandi was able to understand himself and the challenges surrounding his life. He was able to recognize the need to break the vicious cycle of poverty in this family lineage. Also, through self-concept, he was able to understand the difference.

The distinct difference between Thandi's family and the American community was shown in the thirty-day visit to New York. Though poor and oppressed the African American Americans were able to preserve their social structures and cultural heritage. The traditional structures in the family lineages were vivid. They lived in pathetic poverty, unemployment, and alcoholism but they were able to maintain the structures and cultural values of their indigenous traditions. In her visit, realized that the many vices believed to exist in the reservation like casinos did not exist in a real sense. He also realized of the ignorance he and his likes had on the mixed culture. When he met the Thandi's family their warm hospitality and family structures inspired him to learn more about their culture in order to compare the modern and traditional lives. Through the thirty day experience, Spurlock felt the gap that his fellow community was doing injustices to the African American Americans in the perception of modernization. From this experience, Spurlock's community is depicted to be confused about their heritage as opposed to the previously held perception.

Conclusion

As presented in the colored women and immigrants children the stereotypical African American way of living is depicted. The metaphorical changes experienced by both characters as they tried to drag themselves out of the poverty they find themselves in, gives different perception from other African Americans. The friendship between Arnold and Rowdy is depicted in the friendship of victor and Thomas. Their change in life due to the western influence made their friends and members of their community refer to them as non-real African Americans. The social changes that are experienced by these two primary characters in the Smoke Signals and The Absolute True Diary of a part-time African American signify the symbolic role death of loved ones. The two brought similar death circumstances in the families when Thomas's parents were killed and when Mary the sister to Arnold was killed in a fire. These miseries depicted the despair brought by the death of a loved one. From the two stories, the theme of hope is drawn as the characters cope with the misery they find in their lives.

References

Clemmons, Zinzi. (July 2017). What We Lose. Illus. Viking, 224p.