FREE ESSAY ON RACE & EDUCATION (COMPARING SHORT STORIES)

RACE & EDUCATION (COMPARING SHORT STORIES)

Race and Education
The two children portrayed in the short stories "The Circuit" by Francisco Jimenez and
"Doby's Gone" by Ann Petry are at a disadvantage because of their races when it comes to
forming friendships, overcoming obstacles, and preserving their childhood. While these
two stories focus on one character, the difficulties that these children endure plague
entire communities and groups of people.
In the stories, both children are from minority backgrounds. The young boy in "The
Circuit" is a member of a migrant family and is forced to change schools and move often
while Sue, the little girl in "Doby's Gone," is African American and is ridiculed because
of her race. This causes them to feel like outsiders, making it difficult for them to
form concrete relationships. Judging from the way her classmates hurl insults such as
"nigger girl," "her legs are black," and "how do you comb that kind of hair?"(401), it is
obvious that it is a struggle for Sue to fit in and form friendships. Sue has a stronger
relationship with her imaginary friend Doby than she has with any children in her class.
It is not so obvious in "The Circuit" that the boy doesn't make friends with his peers;
however, instead of playing with the other children during lunch he spends time in the
classroom of his teacher, his "best friend at school,"(262). Because he is Hispanic and
new at the school it would be a challenge for him to make friends with the other students
because his family is constantly packing "everything into cardboard boxes"(257) and
moving again. Unlike this boy though, in "Doby's Gone," Sue eventually makes friends with
two of her classmates despite racial issues.
Part of the reason Sue forms the friendships with the two other children is that she
begins to fight back against her tormenters. She lashes out against the children who are
yelling and teasing her. By "slapping and kicking", "tearing at clothing", and
"scratching, biting, and kicking-with such passion and energy that the space around her
cleared,"(402) she overcomes the feelings of inferiority and inadequacy brought on by the
mocking. In "The Circuit", the boy has to overcome the conflict between his family's
lifestyle and his desire for an education. His parents fulfill this desire, but only when
they don't need him to work. The boy does not want to keep moving, continuing the cycle
of "starting the sixth grade for the first time that year,"(261) implying that it was not
the first time he had been forced to cut his education short because of the need to
relocate. Both children are forced to rise above difficulties when trying to receive
their education.
By dealing with the trials involved in forming relationships and receiving an education,
the children are forced to become more adult-like. They both gain the independence needed
to overcome those tribulations. Throughout "The Circuit", the young boy proves his
independent nature by working, going to school by himself, and depending on himself. At
school, he is the one who goes to the office to enroll and makes the effort to ask his
teacher for help with reading. In contrast, Sue doesn't become independent until she
fights the children who tease her. She finds strength within herself and forms
relationships with the two children who befriend her. She doesn't need Doby's presence
any longer; she will stick up for herself. It is necessary for the two characters to
mature, and they find inner strength to depend on when faced with challenges.
By analyzing the children's experiences, we find that all these aspects of the stories
are related to race and education. The children find it difficult to form relationships,
have to overcome challenges, and find inner strength. These issues do not affect these
characters alone, but anyone who is looked down upon or has had to struggle because of
differences. In the end though, there is the hope for change because the children make
friends, rise above adversity, and discover maturity and independence.