Marian Minus "Girl, Colored"

Much of life results from choices we make. How we meet every circumstance, and also how we allow those circumstances to affect us dictates our life. In Marian Minus’s short story, “Girl, Colored," we are given a chance to take a look inside two characters not unlike ourselves. As we are given insight into these two people, their character and environment unfolds, presenting us with people we can relate to and sympathize with. Even if we fail to grasp the fullness of a feeling or circumstance, we are still touched on our own level, evidencing the brilliance of Minus’s writing.
In the exposition of the story, Minus immediately delves into the characters, introducing us to both and young Carrie Johnson and Mrs. Cado P. Clark, the main characters in the story. She also gives us a physical description of Carrie, as well as a beginning presentation of Mrs. Clark’s character. Of Carrie, Minus writes, “…Carrie had come out of the South, the red clay clinging to her misshapen heels, made migrant by the disintegration of a crumbling age” also “Carrie’s wide brown nostrils...”(Girl, Colored 1940). Of Mrs. Clark’s character as person from the upper class; she writes “A pale blonde woman opened the door. Wisps of inoffensive hair strayed from the leather thongs of a dozen curlers set at variance on her head.”Minus instantly offers a feel for how each character will shape up to be, and presents a chance for us (the reader) to attach ourselves to these perhaps not-so-unique individuals. Without further ado, Minus expounds on her both her characters initial descriptions of throughout the remainder of the story. We learn that Carrie has a quick temper and she easily angered but manages to keep of her emotions under control, Mrs. Clark ha...

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...us allows the reader to douse in this period of Harlem Renaissance from another point of view. Finding work and establishing themselves from “white America” and becoming entrepreneurs for black was not easy, they still had to work hard for very little. Once the reader has identified with the character, the character of Carrie begins to relate to the reader. Whether the reader is feeling one of Carrie’s many emotions or feeling the desperation of how hard it is to make a living. The theme is fully digested, and creates inspiration in the reader to begin their own quest towards striving for better opportunities.

Work Cited
Minus, Marian. "Girl, Colored" and other stories. Book, Fiction. Crisis (New York, N.Y.) Crisis (Baltimore, Md. : 2003) Other Authors Musser, Judith, 1959-: Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., Publishers, c2011., 1940. Girl, Colored. Print.