Themes in Brownies Essay

Brownies is a story by ZZ Packer, a young African American writer and it was published in 1999. This story takes place at Camp Crescendo, a summer camp for fourth graders near the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. Laurel, the narrator, gives a glimpse into the day-to-day world of the black girls parents in suburban Atlanta. In addition to the theme of racial prejudice, Brownies makes another serious point. It shows the power of group thinking and the pressure to go along with the actions of the group to which one belongs, even against one's wishes and better judgment.

If this is indeed so, the black girls in Brownies seem to have done extremely well. When they hear, or Arnetta thinks she hears, the offensive racial word used by a white girl, their reaction is not to go off into a corner and cry, but to fight back, to teach the white girls a painful lesson. We cant let them get away calling us niggers. [She] say we teach them a lesson (361). These are tough, confident girls, especially Arnetta and Octavia.

The African American girls in Brownies also know how to use language to counter any negative names or labels that whites might try to impose on them. When someone does something, or wears something, they do not approve of, or acts in a clumsy or incompetent manner, the response is, What are you? Caucasian? (360) as Arnetta said to a black boy in school who was wearing jeans considered to be unfashionable.

In addition to the theme of racial prejudice, Brownies makes another serious point. It shows the power of group thinking and the pressure to go along with the actions of the group to which one belongs, even against ones wishes and better judgment. People tend to do things when caught up in the pressures exerted by a group of peers, or even in a crowd of strangers, that they would not do if left to themselves. The example in the story is the narrator, Laurel. Laurel is more reflective than the other girls; she is the only one who questions whether the white girl actually made the insult, and she has no desire to fight. She wants to stay back with Daphne until Arnetta forces her to join in the planned assault. [She] is gonna stay, too, [She] said. [She] will go to the restrooms when Daphne and Mrs. Hedy go (367). But, then an interesting thing happens; as the girls approach the restrooms, Laurel finds that her thinking has changed: Even though I didnt want to fight, was afraid of fighting, I felt I was part of the rest of the troop; like I was defending something.(368) It should be noted that Laurel does not define what she is defending; it seems to be only a vague feeling, induced by her membership of a group that has collectively decided on a certain course of action. Had the fight broken out, no doubt the normally quiet, nonviolent Laurel would have done what was expected of her.