A Closer Look at Like a Winding Sheet

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In the story, Like a Winding Sheet, author Ann Petry depicts a tale of a hard working man and his internal battle with anger, self-realization and the daily woes of being black in America. At the end of the story his wife, Mae Johnson, becomes the recipient of the anger Johnson has held so. close to him. Through symbolism, style, and mood, Petry allows the character to embrace the world around them, leaving me questioning the subject of violence, racial discrimination, and hate. Although Like a Winding Sheet is a short story, it bears witness to a generation of men, who during this time, had very little voice and power In the story, Like a Winding Sheet, symbolism was used as foreshadowing for an ultimate ending of defeat. At the beginning of the story, this is unclear, for the couple seems to be this ideal of happiness. There’s this playful banter that is exchanged between husband and wife. Mae is giggly and attentive, teasing her husband for sleeping so late. Then it happens. Mae observes Johnson’s position saying, “You look like a huckleberry…in a winding sheet…” (Norton 1498). The winding sheet is simple and innocence at first but the symbolism behind it means much more. It’s not necessarily the fact that it was a sheet, but that it resembles a shroud used to dress the dead- a foreshadowing for her death. Another symbolism use throughout the story was the use of color. Often time with color, some sort of change was about to occur. For instance, while Mr. Johnson is lying in bed, he observes his Inky black skin; allowing it to become a symbol for the disgrace that would unfold as invents of the day took place. While being confronted by his boss, Johnson observes how red her face becomes, so red he could see how purple her ve... ... middle of paper ... ...ture these characters in such a vivid way that these characters leave an imprint on the minds of those who read it. I appreciate the work that went into the short story because it gives insight on how a person, whether male or female, thinks. It also shows how societies’ perspective on a group of people could take a negative turn and leave one damaged physically and mentally. It is clear now that violence does not erupt out of nowhere, but is something that is built and tampered with. Works Cited O'Donnell, Heather. "Ann Petry
." Ann Petry: Voices From the Gaps : University of Minnesota. University Of Minnesota, 25 Nov. 1996. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. Petry, Ann. "Like a Winding Sheet." The Norton Anthology of African-American Literature. Second Edition. Ed. Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Nellie Y. McKay. New York: Norton, 2004. 1498-1503. Print.

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