Introduction
Education plays an important role in teaching children valuable lessons that will help them change or become agents of change. This idea materializes in Mildred Taylor’s Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Told from the perspective of 9 year old Cassie, the girl leans valuable lessons, especially from bitter experiences of racism and injustice, which allowed her to grow and become an instrument or vehicle of change. The following discussion focuses on the lessons that Cassie learned, these lessons’ influences on Cassie’s point of view, behavior, and role in the story.
Coming of Age in Roll of Thunder, Hear Me Cry
Taylor’s Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is set in a farmland community in the South during the late 1800s. During this period in the history of America, racism was extensive in the country. White families remained wealthy and prominent in communities and children attended segregationist schools. Taylor’s novel follows the story of the Logan family – David Paul (papa), Mary (mama), the Logan children Stacey (12 years old), Cassie (9 years old), Christopher-John (7 years old), and Clayton Chester (6 years old), Hummer (uncle), and Caroline (grandmother). The Logans own four hundred acres of land where they plant and harvest cotton. Told from the point of view of young Cassie, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry narrates the racial injustices that the Logan family and other black people in their community experience as a result of white supremacy. Taylor’s novel also traces Cassie’s learnings and growth as a result of the cruelty and injustice that she sees and experiences in the story.
Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry has the makings of a Bildungsroman novel. Bildungsroman is a genre in literature that portrays the protagonist’s coming of age (Tolchin, 14). As the story progresses, Cassie learns many lessons from her encounters inside and outside the classroom, particularly how the world works – the power structure in a racist society (McDowell, 221). Cassie was somewhat naïve at first but she comes into her own towards the end of the novel, especially when she realized what her father did to drive away white men from their property. Since Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry is only the first book in a series written by Taylor, I would assume that the rest of the novels follow Cassie’s further growth and maturity. Hence, this novel is merely the beginning of the protagonist’s journey especially since Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry palpably build up into Cassie’s growth.
Cassie is very perceptive, intelligent and observant. It also appears that the protagonist has a ‘built-in moral compass’ that allowed her to distinguish right from wrong and therefore, discern the unfairness that happens all around her. Her point of view is essential in learning about the life of African-Americans during that period in American history and therefore, highlights the importance of tracing the history to understand the context of the novel (Collins, 1). Cassie observed that white people in the community were often unfair to black people like her and her family. One of Cassie’s concerns in the beginning of the novel has something to do with the school bus that white children rode to school. The school bus passes them – Cassie and her siblings – on their way to school and sprays them with dust and mud. In school, she sees that the teacher treats them unfairly because of their race. The teacher distributes old and tattered books that children in white schools have already used. Recognizing the unfairness in the way that teachers treat them and the way that schools give preference to white students, Cassie speaks her mind and shows her headstrong quality by questioning the teacher about it. As a result, Cassie received lashes from the teacher because of this. Cassie shows awareness because she remains headstrong even if the teacher whipped her and her younger brother. This shows her determination in asserting right from wrong.
Cassie’s family is responsible in instilling moral values among the Logan children and thus, making her and her siblings morally sensitive and aware. Cassie’s relationship with her parents and siblings allowed her to learn the difference between right and wrong. Throughout the story, Cassie not only experiences injustice firsthand but also hears stories about it from other members of her family and friends. In the beginning of the novel, Cassie hears from their neighbor T. J. about the white man who deliberately set a man on fire, from her father and his friend L. T. Morrison about racial inequality and abuse in the workplace, and from L.T. Morrison about the unfortunate death of his parents at the hands of white men. Cassie and her siblings also experience injustice. Aside from the school bus incidents, Cassie and her siblings were also turned away from a store by the owner. Although Cassie has not realized it during that time, her experiences show that prolonged racial injustices forces victims to fight back (Collins, 273). Since the first of school, Cassie and her siblings had to face the school bus with white children that ceaselessly teased them and that splattered dust and mud their way. When they had enough, Stacey told their siblings to dig deeper holes along the road. When the rains came and water filled the holes, the school bus got stuck in the holes. It was their form of revenge. This shows that children as young as Cassie learns about revenge when they incessantly become victims of injustice. Later on, Cassie works out what she learned to take revenge for what Lillian Jean did to her. Cassie’s thirst for revenge marks the protagonist’s awakening of the importance of retribution, which is a concept in law (Bosmaijan, 142). Cassie knows that when someone does undesirable things to other people, there must be an equal punishment for their wrongdoings. Without a system that does this for her and her family, Cassie decided to take justice into her own hands.
Cassie and her siblings learned about justice, equality, and empowerment from their parents (Bosmaijan, 141). When the community heard about the Berrys, David Paul and Mary told their children not to go to the Wallace’s store. The Wallace family who own the store were the ones responsible for the death of Berry. The Logans also visited other families to urge them to boycott the store. Caroline also tells Cassie that the Logans are the rightful owners of the land because her late husband, Paul Edward, bought two hundred acres of land from the Grangers when they were in dire need of money. Although Paul Edward paid for the land fully, Harlan Granger is now badgering Caroline to return the land. Cassie’s grandfather also teaches her about self-control at the face of injustice and tells her that Cassie must only fight back when necessary. Through these, Caroline learns about fairness and the need to stand up for one’s right and understands that a fair society must be just (Bosmaijan, 141). Although Cassie may not have known about the law then, her desire to make things right reflects her understanding of the role of a set of rules – the law – that would bring order and equality in their community so they would not be unfairly treated by white people.
Although equality is an important lesson that children must learn, Cassie learns from her grandfather that inequality exists even under circumstances when it does or should not. Cassie was talking to her grandfather about her friendship with Jeremy, a neighbor from a white family that sometimes walk with them tom school. For Christmas, Jeremy gave Cassie a whistle as a gift. Cassie was not used to a white child’s kindness and when she asks her grandfather about it, he tells her that it would lead to trouble even if Jeremy and Cassie’s friendship was sincere. This fear and sense of caution materializes in the end when Stacey stops his siblings from going over at Jeremy’s house to look at his tree house.
Finally, Cassie learns from her experiences about the price of fighting for one’s right. When the mob came, Cassie and her siblings ran to warn their parents. Cassie’s father and L.T. Morrison ran out to fend them off at the same time that a fire broke out in the field eventually burning all their crops including their neighbor’s’ crops. Later on, Cassie would learn that to fight for their land, the Logans, David Paul, especially was willing to burn their crops in order to drive about the mob of white men that threatened to kill him and L. T. Morrison. At this, Cassie learns a valuable but difficult lesson – one must do everything to survive and to fight for what is right, even if that means surrendering something valuable in the process. Cassie learns this from his father who decided to burn the field.
Cassie’s learnings from her family proves that adults help in educating children and allowing them to become agents of change. Cassie’s parents and grandparents taught the Logan children not only to stand up for what is right but also to take action autonomously when necessary (McDowell, 213). Her experiences also enhanced Cassie’s moral compass because the injustice that she witnessed drove her to better stand for what is right, speak her mind, and to support her family who desires to fight racism. Cassie’s determination is partly because of her family’s encouragement and teachings, and because of her experiences that made her feel powerless against a system or power structure that breeds racism and injustice. Cassie’s growth and maturity in the story shows hints of empowerment on her part. Cassie was already strong-willed and vocal to begin with but further realizations made her independent and wise.
Cassie’s Involvement in their Family’s Fight against Racism
Cassie is also loyal to her family. She understands that her family needs to keep their land so like other children in their community, Cassie helps her family pick cotton in Logan’s farmland. Moreover, she listens to her parents, especially when they warn her about things that may bring about danger to her and her family. Cassie’s loyalty to her family and desire to right the wrongs in their community show in the way she follows her parents, fights back and takes revenge, and shows concern for her family. Cassie has slowly become aware of the dangers in befriending or crossing white men in their community even if they were in the right. Knowing this, Cassie wanted to fight for their right and fight against racism, and she does this in her own little way. Cassie asserted their right when she helped her siblings dig the hole to take revenge and embarrass Lilian Jean. She also helped her family by running with her siblings home to warn their parents about the incoming mob of white men. Therefore, throughout the story, Cassie learns how to protect herself and her family while continuing the fight against racism in the way that she can – verbal defiance, revenge, and support for her family and the black community. The sequels in the series may show more about Cassie’s growth and strength in seeking justice and equality not only for her but for the black community.
Conclusion
Overall, education played an important role in helping Cassie understand the power structure in a racist society and understand her part in fighting against it. Cassie learned from her experiences of racism and discrimination and from her parents and grandparents who taught the Logan children to stand up for what is right. The lessons that they learned, Cassie especially, helped to better distinguish right from wrong, question inequality in their community, assert themselves even through an underhanded manner, support their family and friends that suffer due to injustice, and seek retribution as a means of fighting against racism.
Works Cited
Bosmajian, Hamida. Mildred Taylor’s story of Cassie Logan: A search for law and justice in a racist society. Children’s Literature, 1996: 24, 141-160.
Collins, Patricia Hill. Black feminist thought: Knowledge, and consciousness, and the politics of empowerment. New York, NY: Routledge, 2000.
McDowell, Kelly. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry: a culturally specific, subversive concept of child agency. Children’s Literature in Education, 2002: 33(3), 213.
Taylor, Mildred. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. London, UK: Puffin, 2004.
Tolchin, Karen R. Part blood, part ketchup: Coming of age in American Literature and film. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2007.
