Brownies: A Group Of Young African-American Girls

“Brownies” is a short story that was written from an African American female’s view of how a group of young African American girls spend their time at summer camp. These girls are from south Atlanta where whites are seldom seen. Girl Scouts are usually lumped into a category of young and innocent. However, the light that the writer put them in reflected something completely different. The writer wrote this way so that the reader can see the girls for who they really are without feeling pity for them. Evident from the very first sentence of the story, the girls view on race plays a huge role in their lack of tolerance and their view on the world.

The two races portrayed in the controversy are the rich, stuck up white girls from troop 909 and

As mentioned earlier, girls scouts are supposed to be sweet and selfless. However, the Brownies from Atlanta are far from innocent. The girls make no effort or attempts to be anything like the helpful, blameless Girl Scouts that society and the readers expects them to be. The story, at times, is very difficult to picture because the language and attitude of the supposed ten-year-olds is too mature to seem plausible. How could they have this much hate towards one another at such a young age? As a society, we are taught to feel pity for those less fortunate. However, the way the writer portrays them in the story gives the reader permission to dislike the girls and to not believe they deserve our sympathy. Instead, the sympathy is directed towards troop 909 for the sole fact that they do fulfill the stereotype of girl scouts. When the girls finally realize that they were sent to the same camp as the disabled kids, some of them were not surprised. A main character, Octavia, asked “…‘why did we have to be stuck at the camp with retarded girls? You know?’ ‘You know why,’ Arnetta answered.” Again, this shows that the black girls accept they are less fortunate but they still act with hatred and this still don’t earn the reader’s

Every time the narrator goes against the antagonists or the majority of the troop the reader hopes that it will have an effect on the rest of the Brownies. It is obvious that Laurel wants to take a stand against the instigators; even the few times she was being vocal about her disagreement she was always shut down. “They won’t ever be alone,’ I said. All of the rest of the girls looked at me, for I usually kept quiet”. The reader cheers Laurel on because they want her to take a stance against the fight. She had an opportunity to stop the argument between her friends but she goes into the bathroom anyways because it was hard for her to go against her troop. The reader’s view of her character changes from proud to let down because they think that she may feel the same way toward whites as the rest of her troop. Another opportunity arises later in the story where Laurel may be able to redeem herself by becoming friends with Daphne and they can stand against Arnetta and Octavia together. Daphne can show Laurel that it’s ok to have thoughts of anger, but entering into the bathroom was not acceptable. This remark makes the reader’s mind ponder how different the Brownies would be if Daphne and Laurel were the ones that controlled the actions of the group instead of Arnetta and Octavia.