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

the young, judgmental African American girls. The writer used Snot’s, or Laurel’s, first person viewpoint in the story as a way to show how the difference of race is used in stereotyping. Even though the girls proclaimed that whites were forgettable when they were home in south Atlanta, the resentment and envy directed towards them was never too far away. The characters were searching for any and all reasons to dislike the white girls before they even met. Laurel even envied the white girls for something as minuscule as their long hair. “This alone was reason for envy and hatred.” That statement brings full awareness to the character’s lack of camaraderie or connection they feel toward the white girls. The dislike of the girls is foreshadowed by the very first comment; “…the girls in my Brownie troop had decided to kick the asses of each and every girl in Brownie Troop 909. Troop 909 was doomed from the first day of camp; they were white girls, their complexions a blend of ice cream: strawberry, vanilla.” This statement allows the blame to be placed on the entire troop as a whole as opposed to one person. It shows that the jealousy is shared among the black girls and it is not just Laurel that envies them. Even in the end of the story, the racism is not resolved but instead only more conflict arises.
Irony is used through the story to characterize the distinction between innocence and being overly excessive.

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

pity.
Throughout the story the reader gets the impression that it is very difficult for the black girls to overlook racial differences but there are a few moments where there is hope for something better.

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.

Or if from the beginning, Daphne and Laurel had teamed up against Arnetta and Octavia and made the rest of the girls decide which stance to take on their racial circumstances at the Girl Scout campsite.
In conclusion, Packer seems to accept racial differences as a natural way of life. Being from Atlanta, Packer may have been one of those girls in the troop when she was a young girl. She may have even been Laurel. “Brownies” is either her reflection of her own race or what she thinks societies’ is. Through a call to action, irony, metaphors and similes, and an open ending, Packer shows her perception of racial differences. The call to action being for young black girls to begin acting and thinking a different way if they truly want change. Irony in the sense that young girls are supposed to be innocent but each of these girls’ issues with economic status, family challenges, and other things we may not know about withholds them from maintaining their innocence. Irony also appears as the girls believe using derogatory words are fair for them to use but not for white people. Packer wants the reader to know that it is not completely the girls’ faults that they act that way. In fact, it may even be natural for people to be jealous of others with a higher standard of living regardless of race. But acting upon that jealousy is incorrect. And an open ending allows the reader to ponder what change may be in the future if the metaphorical “Daphne and Laurel” can make a difference in their community.