I enjoyed reading Mary Elizabeth by Fauset. At the very beginning I found it striking that Sally really didn’t seem like she could function without the assistance of Mary Elizabeth and Roger, unless he is grumpy every morning, seemed to be struggling also to get through his morning routine without Mary Elizabeth’s presence and or assistance. I find it interesting that these two people cannot seem to function with out a servants assistance. It made me think that these two people have taken for granted that they would not need to learn to do the simple things in life, like making coffee or cooking breakfast because they would always depend on a servant to do these things for them. Maybe Fauset was giving these people a reality check on life.
Mary Elizabeth is described as being a small, aged, dark woman with confidence. This is striking description because he does not give Roger and Sally that descriptive background but just from the opening paragraph you know that they lack confidence that comes with age and knowledge of the world. This use of a couple of just a couple of words to describe her really brings Mary Elizabeth to life and gives her some depth. Fauset seems to give Mary Elizabeth more background and depth than did Toomer and McKay. All of these writers seem to speak fondly of the power, diligence, and grace of African American women, however Fauset doesn’t’ speak of them in terms of nature nor as an over all race. Fauset seemed to pick one woman who may have been fictional or non fictional and really used this one person to give us a look at an African American woman.
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This character of Mary Elizabeth definitely provides us as readers with one model of a typical African American woman at this time. Mary Elizabeth was responsible for providing for her own family economically, keeping up her home, as well as, providing services for another family. This example of an African American woman shows the constant struggle that women faced in having to balance their jobs and their home life. This seems like a situation that many African American women faced.
I agree it was very striking how Sally and Roger were dependent on Mary Elizabeth. It was also surprising how lost they were with out her. As I read further on, I made the assumption that during the time period it was common to have a servant. I was surprised the relationship that Sally and Mary Elizabeth had how comfortable Mary Elizabeth felt to talk with Sally about her life and her past.
Angie, you write, "At the very beginning I found it striking that Sally really didn’t seem like she could function without the assistance of Mary Elizabeth and Roger..."
I definitely agree with with you. While reading the beginning of this story, Sally reminded me of a lot of women I read about in a feminist unit in my AP Lit class last year. Sally seemed to possess so many of the same qualities as Nora from "A Doll's House," and Edna from "The Awakening," so I was expecting her to change her life in the same ways that those women did by gaining independence in their own ways. However, Sally never does that and the story concludes with her returning to her stereotypical place as a subservient wife figure. I was so frustrated! I still feel frustrated when I read feminist literature and now Sally is just one more woman to add to the list.
I liked your idea about Sally not being able to function without Roger or Mary Elizabeth. She really isn't independent at all. I feel like she is soft spoken and weak. She can't stand up for herself. I also thought you brought up a good point about Fauset giving these people a reality check. When I was reading I guess I got so wrapped up in the story that I didn't realize that Mary Elizabeth is described so much more than Sally and Roger, but after reading your post and going back and looking at the short story I agree completely with you.
I also enjoyed this reading. I found it interesting that Mary Elizabeth, who we would assume is treated as a servant, is accepted into the family. It is almost a role reversal between Mary Elizabeth and Sally. Sally is the one following Mary Elizabeth around instead ot the other way around. Also, it is Mary Elizabeth who is sharing stories and talking to Sally. I found the interaction between the two women to be interesting and not the norm. I think their strange relationship served a purpose though, as it seems that Mary Elizabeth put some things into perspective for Sally.
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