Influence of Relatives in Not Without Laughter by Langston Hugues

962 Words2 Pages

Not Without Laughter by Langston Hughes is a novel about an African-American boy’s coming of age during the early 20th century. The narrative takes us through the childhood and adolescent years of the quiet and intelligent Sandy Rogers. Just as any other child, Sandy is greatly influenced by the people he meets, the places he goes to, and his experiences in different situations as a black child who is looked down upon in a dominantly white hegemony. Though all the people we meet in life affect us in some way, it is a common fact that those who are closest to us, our constant companions, are the driving forces that shape how we turn out to be as adults. In this narrative, two characters who influence Sandy in a great way are Aunt Hager and Aunt Tempy. Aunt Hager is his maternal grandmother who is the center of Sandy’s life for a majority of the time in the story. She provides for him and becomes his guardian when his lovelorn mother leaves him to be reunited with her husband, Jimboy Rogers. Aunt Tempy is a maternal aunts who is merely a distant and foreboding presence in Sandy’s life until the death of Aunt Hager, where she fills in the vacuum of his guardianship. Therefore, in Not Without Laughter by Langston Hughes, the two characters Aunt Hager and Aunt Tempy contribute to the protagonist’s coming of age by influencing his morals and his education, and thus, his character. By being the two main characters who take on the role of guardianship for Sandy when his own parents are too wrapped up in themselves and their issues, Hager and Sandy are the two main authorities in the critical parts of Sandy’s childhood and adolescence. Hager had been present in Sandy’s life since birth till she dies of old age. The time spent with her sha... ... middle of paper ... ...iends do not care about being educated and aspire to make easy money, Sandy dreams of becoming a teacher and spends his time philosophically questioning what he sees around him(186-188). In the end, when his mother Annjee is almost about to ruin Hager and Tempy’s hope for a bright and intellectual future for Sandy, Aunt Harriet pitches in and promises that she would provide for Sandy’s education so that Aunt Hager’s dreams for him would be realized (217). Therefore, the moral and intellectual effect on the protagonist by the characters Aunt Hager and Aunt Tempy in Not Without Laughter pave the way for Sandy’s adult life as he grows up under their care. Thus reiterating the importance of the effect that our close companions in our life have on how we turn out to be. Works Cited Hughes, Langston. Not Without Laughter. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2008. Print.

Show More
Related

  • Slavery: A Cycle of Victimization

    560 Words  | 2 Pages

    Parents had to raise their children knowing there children would suffer the same fate as they did when they become of age. “Grandma was soon to lose another object of affection, she had lost many before.” (pg. 39) When the kids were young they were allowed to develop friendships with the slave owner’s children. “Color makes no difference with a child.” (pg.50) Kids are oblivious. However, slave children began to realize what the rest of their life would be like when they did become of age. Sopia the slave o...

    Read More

  • Harper Lee's To Kill Mocking Bird

    672 Words  | 2 Pages

    No matter race, background or time period, every child goes through the drastic change from childhood to adulthood that we know of as “coming of age.” Since the topic of coming of age is so widespread and relatable, it is a very common theme in novels. In fact, many American classics follow the archetype known as loss of innocence, which displays the change in views and values of a child during this time period. Childhood is hard enough how it is, but during certain time periods and in certain locations, it can be exceptionally difficult; an example of this stressed hardship is the Deep South during the times of segregation and The Great Depression. One American classic that follows this archetype is To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee; in this narrative, she shows a dramatic change in Scout and Jem’s understanding of courage and empathy with the help of their father, Atticus, as they mature in the Deep South.

    Read More

  • Harriet Jacobs

    1388 Words  | 3 Pages

    Linda’s life was without knowing she was a slave until she was bout six years old. Her father was skilled craftsmen and so his was allowed to work for his profit as long as he gave half to his master. Linda’s mother died when Linda was young, so her maternal grandmother took car of her and her brother William. Her grandmother had been freed by an elderly white woman. Aunt Martha, as was known, was very loved by many including whites and blacks especially by Linda. As soon as she realized her fate in slavery her grandmother became her only female figure of who she really loved and trusted.

    Read More

  • My Grandmother Ruthie Character Analysis

    1200 Words  | 3 Pages

    After five years of being raised and living with their grandmother whom they truly loved, the girls had a rude awakening. Their grandmother, Sylvia had passed away. “When after almost five years, my grandmother one winter morning eschewed awakening, Lily and Nona were fetched from Spokane and took up housekeeping in Fingerbone, just as my grandmother had wished” (Robinson 29). This was the final attempt that their grandmother had made in order for the girls to have a normal and traditional life. This is a solid example of how the sister’s lives are shaped by their family and their surroundings. Lucille’s ultimate concern in life is to conform to society and live a traditional life. She wishes to have a normal family and is sorrowful for all of the losses that she has experienced such as her mother’s and grandmother’s deaths. On the other hand, Ruthie, after spending more time with her future guardian, Aunt Sylvie, becomes quite the transient like her.

    Read More

  • William Saroyan's The Human Comedy

    1622 Words  | 4 Pages

    Babies learn everything they need to survive in the culture of today from their parents. Monkey see monkey do. When children's minds develop and grow, all they know is the world of their family and perhaps a few other adults. Everything children catch in their young eyes and ears teaches them another lesson. Adults can teach about how to care for the sick, hospitality, and good manners but they also may pass on racist views and preconceived ideas. They seem to focus on the death, war, and financial problems; all present in every day life of characters in William Saroyan's novel, The Human Comedy. These problems may completely engulf the mind, body, and soul of busy men and women. Adults should take a second and watch their sons and daughters who have much more to teach but not enough pride and experience to lecture their brilliant ideas. According to Saroyan, children are the experts on living life, while adults have the greater knowledge of death. Children take time to recognize the smaller joys of life and therefore can live life with a worthwhile meaning. Adults have gained the experience to educate children on coping with sadness and humbling far out hopes and dreams. Characters such as Mrs. Macauley, Miss Hicks, and Mr. Spangler all play an important role in teaching vital lessons. Adults, in this novel, also state some pointers on how to truly live life, while many adults do not follow these teachings at all. To survive the severe ups and downs of our fluctuating world, adults and children must both teach and learn from each other.

    Read More

  • Perseverance and Hope: A Slave Girl's Journey

    1000 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Harriet Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Jacobs recalls her experiences of being a slave through the eyes of Linda Brent. Linda held no knowledge of being a piece of property through her childhood. When she turned six, her childhood vanished. Although she was still a child, she had to mature at a much accelerated rate than children who were not slaves, or of color. Throughout Linda’s life of a slave girl, she depended on substantial family tethers as a source of perseverance, support, and aspirations for a superior life. In a few ways, these tethers can be perceived as a blessing in disguise. Even though Linda’s support system served as an extensive force ultimately leading her to

    Read More

  • Langston Hughes Biography Essay

    565 Words  | 2 Pages

    Like most, the stories we hear as children leave lasting impacts in our heads and stay with us for lifetimes. Hughes was greatly influenced by the stories told by his grandmother as they instilled a sense of racial pride that would become a recurring theme in his works as well as become a staple in the Harlem Renaissance movement. During Hughes’ prominence in the 20’s, America was as prejudiced as ever and the African-American sense of pride and identity throughout the U.S. was at an all time low. Hughes took note of this and made it a common theme to put “the everyday black man” in most of his stories as well as using traditional “negro dialect” to better represent his African-American brethren. Also, at this time Hughes had major disagreements with members of the black middle class, such as W.E.B. DuBois for trying to assimilate and promote more european values and culture, whereas Hughes believed in holding fast to the traditions of the African-American people and avoid having their heritage be whitewashed by black intellectuals.

    Read More

  • Holden Caulfield Childhood

    398 Words  | 1 Pages

    Throughout the book Catcher in the Rye, the main character Holden Caulfield is often critical of adults, such as Mr. Spencer and Ossenburger, but rarely ever finds fault in young children like his little sister Phoebe or the singing boy on the street simply because he views them as pure, incorrupt people. This appreciation of childhood demonstrates Holden’s fear of growing up by showing his distaste in maturing himself and his aversion of setting himself straight. In his fiction novel Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger shows how teenage experiences can be used to reflect the inevitable pain of growing up.

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis of Recitatif Toni Morrison

    1321 Words  | 3 Pages

    The narrator, Twyla, begins by recalling the time she spent with her friend, Roberta, at the St. Bonaventure orphanage. From the beginning of the story, the only fact that is confirmed by the author is that Twyla and Roberta are of a different race, saying, “they looked like salt and pepper” (Morrison, 2254). They were eight-years old. In the beginning of the story, Twyla says, “My mother danced all night and Roberta’s was sick.” This line sets the tone of the story from the start. This quote begins to separate the two girls i...

    Read More

  • Theme Of Family In The Grapes Of Wrath

    833 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the Great Depression, there was a massive migration from rural areas to more populated areas. During this era the Joad family decided to migrate from Oklahoma to California in search of work. As the Joad family traveled to California, the Grandfather dies. During this rough time, Ma helps comfort Grandma over her husband’s death. Ma knew that if Grandma was understanding and accepting of Grandpa’s death, the family would use that courage and her example to get through the mourning period faster. “She seemed to know, to accept, to welcome her position, the citadel of the family, the strong place that could not be taken. And since Tom and the children could not know hurt or fear unless she acknowledged hurt and fear, she has practiced denying them in herself. And since, when a joyful thing happened, they looked to see whether joy was on her, it was her habit to build up laughter out of inadequate materials” ( Steinbeck 48). The mourning period went by quickly because Ma showed strength in herself and in the family.

    Read More

  • Loss Of Innocence In Marigolds

    959 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lizabeth feels conflicted when she overheard her mother and father arguing as her father displayed distress over the fact that he could not support his family.When Lizabeth awoke in the middle of the night as her mother returned home, she she overheard her parents arguing and realized that her life was not as simple as she had once thought. Her father that she had once remembered as the strong, hardworking parent, was crying to her mother, “who was small and soft”, about how he could not support his family. This is new and unfamiliar to Lizabeth, and she feels as though, “The world had lost its boundary lines...Everything was suddenly out of tune, like a broken accordion… I do not now remember my thoughts, only feelings of great bewilderment and fear.” (8). While she had once understood her family’s dynamics, Lizabeth now feels confused and frightened as her view of her parents who she once believed she could lean on in times of need, was changed and they were not as perfect as the once thought. Not only was her family affected, but so was the rest of her town, her race, and much of her country, and all was the effect of The Depression. She is in conflict at what to think, and is upset and unsettled to this new knowledge that she has just gained, and how it has changed her

    Read More

  • Margaret Garner and Seven Others by Toni Morrison

    1062 Words  | 3 Pages

    How would one feel and behave if every aspects of his or her life is controlled and never settled. The physical and emotional wrought of slavery has a great deal of lasting effect on peoples judgment, going to immense lengths to avoid enslavement. In the novel, Beloved, Toni Morrison uses the characters adversity to expose the real struggles of slavery and the impact it has on oneself and relationships. Vicariously living through the life of Sethe, a former slave who murdered one of her kids to be liberated from the awful life of slavery.

    Read More

  • Not Without Laughter Analysis

    935 Words  | 2 Pages

    Aunt Hager’s “knowledge of the past” comes from first-hand experience and hardship that she has endured. She knows that it is wrong to be angry, even though she has been treated poorly during slavery. She passes this wisdom down to Sandy, and she encourages him to continue his education, and to pursue his dreams. From her, he learns to forgive the bad actions of others and look past them. Arguably she is a the of the few, if not the only, “good” influence on Sandy up until her

    Read More

  • Essay On Anne Sexton

    2119 Words  | 5 Pages

    Anne Gray Harvey Sexton was a famous poet and playwright of her time. She was born in Newton, Massachusetts. Her father was Ralph Harvey who was a successful woolen manufacturer. Her mother was Mary Gray Staples. She was an unwanted third daughter in the family. She was raised in a middle-class environment. Her life remained uneasy due to the fact that her father was alcoholic and her mother has been frustrated by family life. Fighting with her tough family environment, Anne found peace in tying a close relationship with her maiden great-aunt, Anna Dingley, whom she used to call ‘Nana’. Whatever Anne could not share with her parents, she used to discuss with Nana. Anne went through difficult situations because of her parents. She faced a hostile behavior from them and feared that they might abandon her. Later, Nana’s death also gave Anne a big trauma (Sexton 3).

    Read More

  • Character Analysis of Mrs. Mallard in The Story of an Hour

    1047 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mrs. Mallard’s repressed married life is a secret that she keeps to herself. She is not open and honest with her sister Josephine who has shown nothing but concern. This is clearly evident in the great care that her sister and husband’s friend Richard show to break the news of her husband’s tragic death as gently as they can. They think that she is so much in love with him that hearing the news of his death would aggravate her poor heart condition and lead to death. Little do they know that she did not love him dearly at all and in fact took the news in a very positive way, opening her arms to welcome a new life without her husband. This can be seen in the fact that when she storms into her room and her focus shifts drastically from that of her husband’s death to nature that is symbolic of new life and possibilities awaiting her. Her senses came to life; they come alive to the beauty in the nature. Her eyes could reach the vastness of the sky; she could smell the delicious breath of rain in the air; and ears became attentive to a song f...

    Read More

More about Influence of Relatives in Not Without Laughter by Langston Hugues

Open Document