44 pages • 1 hour read
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Content Warning: This section discusses anti-Black racism, including lynching, in the Jim Crow South.
The main characters of this book are Black children who live in a relatively idyllic small town in Florida. Although they live during the Jim Crow era, their all-Black town shields them from racism, for the most part. They live in a time and place where it is considered either unnecessary, uncouth, or dangerous to talk to children about difficult or upsetting concepts. That means that when violence does touch their town, no adults are willing to explain things to them in ways that they can understand. In the absence of clear, compassionate explanations for how Ivory died, for example, the children rely on stories and guesses. They believe stories of alligators that can turn into humans, which is in many ways easier than living in a world where white people decapitate Black people.
Coming of age means being prepared to be courageous in the face of danger. The children decide to try to release Ivory’s spirit and defeat the gator king by singing a lullaby by the Blue Sink at night. Even though their story about the gator king does not ultimately reflect reality, their decision to do something frightening and challenging demonstrates their character growth. It shows that they are prepared to complete their coming-of-age journey and are prepared to learn the truth, even if that truth is painful. Even though Zora’s stories are an important part of her and a part of the children’s lives, letting go of those stories is a step toward growing up, particularly for Carrie. It is painful to come to terms with violent racism as a 10-year-old, but it is also necessary if Carrie and her friends are going to keep themselves safe and do the right thing in their community.
When Carrie finally internalizes the truth about Ivory’s death, she is also able to recognize that the same thing most likely happened to her father. Her grief is a long, difficult, painful process, but it is also part of her coming of age. Through her grief, Carrie is able to better connect with the community of Eatonville, recognizing that she exists in connection with many other people. Carrie’s journey of growth is essentially conformist: She prioritizes her community and her future marriage to Teddy as fundamental parts of who she is. Zora’s journey of growth, on the other hand, is non-conformist. She will grow up to travel, tell stories, and have a more turbulent but ultimately more impactful life than Carrie.
Zora and Me raises a lot of questions about what it means to belong in an all-Black community like Eatonville. Although there is a strong sense of solidarity among the people of Eatonville, there is also a lot of trauma that the characters have to reckon with in the aftermath of enslavement and the current reality of racist oppression. Not everyone in the community is able to belong, even if they are Black: Mr. Pendir is perpetually on the outside of things because he is unable to trust other people. After initially thinking of herself as somewhat isolated, Carrie ends up with a profound sense of belonging that prompts her to remain in Eatonville for her entire life. In these ways, the novel explores the complications of race and belonging.
Carrie is familiar with “white lies,” which (to her) are lies that Black people tell white people so that they can continue to live the way they wish without white people getting involved in their business. Carrie sees these lies as fully justified, even before she understands the reality of racism. In some cases, however, lies that fool white people might become dangerous or might be otherwise wrong. Gold is able to pass as white, and she chooses to let people believe that she is white so that she can gain greater access to the world. This choice does give Gold real benefits, but it also isolates her from her community. Even talking to Ivory puts him in danger; she wonders if her fiancé thought that she and Ivory were having an affair and therefore chose to murder him.
Gold’s choice to pass as white is framed as a fundamental betrayal that must be punished and cannot be repaired. The book leaves little room for nuanced discussions around the politics of passing, the dangers Gold faces, or what the right decision would be going forward. When Gold asks to move to Eatonville, Joe Clarke refuses and insists that she return to Lake Maitland, despite the danger of living with the man who may have killed her brother. Joe Clarke and Mr. Ambrose separate Gold from her fiancé, and Joe Clarke relocates Gold to Orlando. Whether she goes willingly or not, and whether she integrates with a Black or white community in Orlando, remains unspecified. Gold loses her brother, her fiancé, her community in Lake Maitland, and any access to community in Eatonville, all because her choice to pass as white is seen as such a deep and irrevocable betrayal. The novel thus does not provide a clear resolution for all of the characters who wrestle with these issues.
Although Zora and Me is fiction, Zora Neale Hurston was real. The fictional version of Zora is a born storyteller, reflecting the real Hurston’s literary career. Though she is always telling stories, Zora insists that she is never lying. Indeed, she is not lying, but she does not always understand the whole truth. Zora’s attachment to telling stories reflects the power of storytelling in the novel.
Zora’s stories about Mr. Pendir and the gator king help her, Carrie, and Teddy develop a framework of understanding when violence strikes their community. Her stories are crucial because the children have no recourse to any other answers. No adults will tell them what really happened. When they go to the Blue Sink to sing a lullaby and release Ivory’s spirit, the children experience real catharsis. The story may not be a real reflection of what is happening, but that does not mean that it has no impact on the children who believe it. Zora’s words do have power, and they do help her and her friends live in a world that can be confusing and frightening.
For Carrie, it is important to move beyond Zora’s stories so that she can grow up and come of age in her community. Zora, however, remains a storyteller and takes a different path. Her stories remain important to her because they allow her to tell others meaningful truths about where she comes from. Other people from all over the world now get to know about Eatonville and the people who lived there because they came into contact with Zora’s stories. While Carrie recognizes this value, she has ultimately moved on from the period of her life where she believed in stories. She and Zora start to diverge as the novel comes to a close.
Although Zora’s stories help her and her friends understand the world, the novel makes a counterargument: Stories are harmful when they obscure reality and separate people from each other. Mr. Pendir’s masks help him tell a story about himself and better understand and cope with a world that has deeply hurt him. Joe Clarke implies that if he had been able to let go of those stories and connect with others, his life would have been better. Gold also tells stories: She tells people that she is white instead of Black. Like Mr. Pendir’s masks, Gold’s stories are harmful because they obscure reality and separate her from her community. Zora’s stories are powerful because they tell people the truth about Eatonville instead of retreating into lies. While she has to learn how to tell these real stories, as she gets older her future as a writer suggests that her storytelling remains a force for good for herself and her community.
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