Achievement Has No Colour in The Queen of Palmyra by Minrose Gwin

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite” -Nelson Mandela. In the novel The Queen of Palmyra by Minrose Gwin, racial discrimination is a prominent issue in the small town of Millwood, Mississippi. Florence Forrest is a young caucasian girl who witnesses the brutality of her time and the horrific acts of racism that plagued her community and her family. In a town overrun by white supremacists, Eva Johnson is a naive foreigner who is determined to make a living regardless of if she is welcome or not. Eva Johnson’s journey comes to an unfortunate end as Winburn ‘Win’ Forrest’s lack of morals and respect is ultimately the cause of her death. Through the Characters of Florence, Eva, and Win Forrest we are introduced to the cultural influences of their time and how racial discrimination plays a major role in shaping our morals.

Up until the mid 1960’s, racial discrimination and segregation was a serious problem in the southern United States, especially in the closeted towns of Mississippi. Though each state handled the ‘problem’ differently, the idea was simple- good white christian folk were, and always will be better than their African-American counterparts and should be separated as such. In the years preceding the civil rights movement in 1961, Americans were brought up on the idea of segregation: a theory that fueled discrimination and a blatant hate for citizens of African American descent- even if they were born in America. In 1961, John. F. Kennedy promised to end racial discrimination for good, putting the civi...

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... were inescapable. Eva’s bravery in the face of death shows how her lifelong struggle with discrimination fueled her strong sense of what’s right and wrong. As Eva lives through personal struggles with struggles with racism she proves that even in the most horrific situations, the strongest morals can be achieved.

Though racism is seen as a dangerous contemporary issue across the world, it provides the opportunity to make or break your morals and code of ethics. Throughout the novel The Queen of Palmyra by Minrose Gwin, Florence Forrest, Win Forrest, and Eva Johnson face the cultural issue of racism and prove that discrimination has the ability to bring out the best- or worst in people, and that is reflected in their morals. “Judging someone by the color of their skin is ignorant. Their skin complexion has nothing to do with their morals, beliefs or intelligence.”