A Closer Look at Ann Petry
A blog analyzing author Ann Petry and her short story "Like a Winding Sheet".
Ann Petry's Impact on African American Literature and Culture
Ann Petry has made an exceptionally
significant contribution to African-American literature and culture. Her stories
received a large amount of praise and reached millions of readers. In addition
to being one of the most successful authors in the category of protest
literature, Petry was also the first to bring major attention to the underrepresented
black female demographic. Her major works include three novels, four children’s
books, and a collection of short stories.
Petry became a successful writer
relatively quickly. Her second published story ever, “Like a Winding Sheet,” rapidly
spread nationwide. A year later she published her first novel, The Street, and received the prestigious
Houghton Mifflin Literary Fellowship Award. The
Street sold 1.5 million copies; no other black woman had even reached a
million.
The substantial sales of Petry’s
works can be partially attributed to her unique style that was able to reach wider
audiences, some of which had not been represented before. She was not afraid to
explore the complex interactions between race and gender, and the Street is also
considered the first novel by a black author to have such considerable focus on
motherhood.
As mentioned previously, she wrote books
for children as well. Not only that, many of those stories were told from the perspective
of a child, further demonstrating her skill for connecting with varied
audiences. The diversity doesn’t stop here; in a time where much of the literature
was originating from urban areas, Petry also wrote stories about rural towns and
stories that connected urban and rural scenes. Most of her later writing was
done in the small town of Old Saybrook, CT.
Reaching millions of people inherently
makes one’s work significant to the culture, but Petry’s impact on the art of literature was also
very real. Her works continued in the tradition of Richard Wright yet innovatively
added a twist of her own. Just like Wright popularized a concept, Petry popularized
a different approach with her unique style for others to follow suit.
Works Cited
Clark, Keith. “A
Distaff Dream Deferred? Ann Petry and the Art of Subversion.” African American
Review 26.3 (1992): 495-505. JSTOR. Web. 12 March. 2014.
Hicks, Heather J.
. "Rethinking Realism in Ann Petry’s The Street " MELUS 27.4 (2002):
89-105. JSTOR.
Horsley, Sarah K.
"Ann Petry." Web log post. Notable Women International. FemBio, 2008.
Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.fembio.org/english/biography.php/woman/biography/ann-petry/>.
Petry, Ann. “Like
a Winding Sheet” The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. New
York. W. W. Norton & Company, 1997. print.
"Like a Winding Sheet": One of Ann Petry's Most Underappreciated Works?
Ann Petry crafted an excellent short story in 1945,
giving it the title “Like a Winding Sheet.” It was one of her earliest works
and, although fiction, was not far from the truth. “Like a Winding Sheet” is, at first glance,
overlooked when examining Ms. Petry’s works due to the fact she has later
novels that have received much praise and many awards. However, this short work
of fiction deserves to be included in talks about her finest works. “Like a
Winding Sheet” speaks of important issues of racism and domestic violence, as
well as receiving praise and having many critics solidifying its significance.
This work must not be overlooked.
“Like a Winding Sheet” speaks of racism which was a
very prominent feature of society during the time of its publication and,
unfortunately, is still present in today’s society. Mr. Johnson, the main
character in the work, is so consumed by racism in every aspect of his life
that it completely controls him. Although equality is preached in today’s
society, it is still present. Everyone has seen examples of racism in their
lifetime. “Like a Winding Sheet” brings to light racism which pertained
extremely well to society at the time and can also relate to society of today,
showing the extreme importance of this issue.
Petry also bring to light domestic violence in her
work. Mae, Mr. Johnson’s loving wife, is beaten viciously. Checking any crime
log in any town or city, at almost any time in history will show that domestic
violence was prominent. “Like a Winding Sheet” was one of the earlier works
that made this abuse one of its focal points. Petry was quietly advocating for
fair treatment of women. Although laws have been created to protect women, abuse
is still present in households of today’s society, showing the magnitude of
this issue.
“Like a Winding Sheet” has also has had its
significance proven through praise that it has received. This work was
originally published by Crisis magazine,
the official magazine of the NAACP. This magazine may not have been as
distinguishable at the time, but its recognition and publication of Ms. Petry’s
work still proves the value of the piece. This magazine was advocating for
equal rights, an extremely important issue, and would not have published just
any ordinary piece. “Like a Winding Sheet” was also included in Martha Foley’s Best American Stories of 1946, a great
honor, further proving its worth.
Besides the praise “Like a Winding Sheet” also had
many critics, just as almost all of Petry’s other works did. The fact that
people were just speaking of this work shows its significance. Critics will
always be present, but for the most part, only speak on works or issues that
are of significance and importance. Especially during the time of its time of
publication when many critics were white, that fact that many were even
speaking of “Like a Winding Sheet” speaks volumes of its significance.
“Like a Winding Sheet” is a very significant part of
Petry’s list of works. It must not be overlooked. It brings to light racism,
domestic violence, has received praise, and has critics. Many of the issues
presented still exist today. All these facts solidify the significance of one
of Petry’s most underappreciated works.
Comparative Racism: "Like a Winding Sheet" and Current Events
Donald Sterling, entrepreneur and owner of the Los
Angeles Clippers basketball franchise, has recently made national news with the
leaked audio tape of him expressing extremely racist remarks concerning African
Americans. Sterling openly bashes people
of the African American race and goes as far as to say that he doesn’t want
anyone in his immediate life to be seen with black people. This relates, albeit inversely, to the man
character in Ann Petry’s short story Like
A Winding Sheet. Johnson, a
hardworking African American man has his entire world altered and shaped by the
bigotry and racism of those around him.
Mr. Sterling, while on the opposite end of racism, has had his life
shaped and altered in a much different way, but a way that was no less severe.
Mr. Sterling and Johnson are not so unalike, even
though they are both of different ethnicities.
Racism is a learned behavior, much like the English language. Nobody is born racist just as nobody is born
with a full and advanced vocabulary. Donald Sterling was shaped into a bigot by
his upbringing in a racist environment just as Johnson was shaped into a short
tempered and violent man by the environment he resided in. Ms. Stiviano, Sterling’s alleged girlfriend,
says numerous times throughout the recorded conversation that he has “so much
hate and racism in your [his] heart.”
While Sterling was raised this way, Johnson feels the effects of this
method of child rearing. In essence
racists like Mr. Sterling are creating prisoners to society and to their own
minds, while Johnson is being imprisoned by those very same things.
Racism and prejudice influence the mind of the racist
and of the affected person just as much as they influence their physical
surroundings. In one part of the audio
tape Mr. Sterling makes the absurd comment that he is the reason that black
people in the community are still surviving.
“I put food on their tables. I put clothes on their backs. I feed them and clothe them.” This comment, although intended to defeat the
racist accusations, only solidifies them.
Sterling is a known slum lord who charges outlandishly high prices to
rent his numerous apartment buildings and in several cases, has refused to rent
to black citizens. While this is intense
in and of itself, the worst part about this particular quote is that Sterling
was referring to the African American players on the Clippers team. These men, that put people in the stands,
sell jerseys and memorabilia, and bring in sponsors, do more for Sterling than
he could ever do for them, and he actually believes that he is making their
lives better. He sits around and does
little to nothing, while those finely tuned athletic machines that are his
players make him multiple millions of dollars.
Seemingly absurd as it is, this thought process has been ingrained in
Sterling’s mind for quite a long time, and has greatly influenced his thoughts
and behavior.
Johnson is also
trapped within his own mind by the racism of his society. He knows that he is not inferior to his white
peers but cannot find any way to make them see that . Throughout the story Johnson wants only to be
treated as an equal and not slighted simply because he is black. While his thoughts on how to fix this problem
are indeed violent, it is assumed that nothing else would really have any
effect in his case. The problem is that
he can’t even pursue the acts of violence because that would only make it worse
for him. Striking a white person, especially
a woman, is a more than unacceptable action and would incur not only the wrath
of the law, but of the society as individuals as well. The anger and resentment that he feels, but
cannot express continuously builds throughout the day until he explodes and
takes it out on the one person that he can actually take it out on, but has
done nothing wrong. An outsider should
keep in mind that this intense emotional exchange took place over the course of
one day. Imagine the feeling of being
trapped inside your own mind and emotions every day for weeks, months or even
years. The inner turmoil proved too much
for Johnson to overcome, and the confines of his own persona played a great
role in shaping his character and his life.
Clearly racism is still a problem in our seemingly
unified society. There are still bigots,
racists and extremists around us all that try, and more often than not succeed,
to hurt people they deem lesser than themselves every day. These people can be as common as a shop
foreman, or as unique as a millionaire sports franchise owner. Regardless of their title, the results of
their actions ultimately have the same effect on the individuals of, in this
case, the African American race. Those
unfortunate people that fall victim to this behavior are not only affected
directly/physically, but indirectly/mentally and emotionally as well. Events like the releasing of this audio tape
do certainly pose the question: will our society ever be truly equal and
unhindered?
Annotated Bibliography
Academic Sources
Clark, Keith. “A
Distaff Dream Deferred? Ann Petry and the Art of Subversion.” African American
Review 26.3 (1992): 495-505. JSTOR. Web. 12 March. 2014.
This article describes Ann Petry’s role in the advancement of the Social Protest novel. Keith Clark discusses feminist undertones in Petry’s writing and also compares and contrasts her to Richard Wright.
Hicks, Heather J. .
"Rethinking Realism in Ann Petry’s The Street " MELUS 27.4 (2002):
89-105. JSTOR.
A critique of Ann Petry’s work.
Lattin, Vernon E.
"Ann Petry and the American Dream." JSTOR. St. Louis University,
Summer 1978. Web. 06 Mar.
2014. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/3041600>.
Lattin discusses the idea of the American Dream and how it can hold back African Americans. He also explores the meaning of the American dream and relates it’s unattainability to Petry’s characters.
Petry, Ann. “Like a
Winding Sheet” The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. New
York. W. W. Norton & Company, 1997. print.
This is our primary source. "Like a Winding Sheet" was written by Ann Petry in 1945.
Shinn, Thelma J..
"Women in the Novels of Ann Petry." Critique: Studies in Modern
Fiction 16.1 (1974): 110-120. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
Tettenborn, Eva.
"Traumatic Reenactment and the Impossibility of African American Testimony
in Ann Petry's 'Like a Winding Sheet' and 'The Witness.'." Ann Petry's
Short Fiction: Critical Essays. Hazel Arnett Ervin and Hilary Holladay.
Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2004. 153-169. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Ed.
Jelena Krstovic. Vol. 161. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Literature Resource Center.
Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=LitRC&userGroupName=umd_salisbury&tabID=T001&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm¤tPosition=31&contentSet=GALE%7CH1420107092&&docId=GALE|H1420107092&docType=GALE&role=LitRC>.
This article explores the effect that trauma could have had on Ann Petry’s main characters. The article takes a closer look at Johnson and discussed racism’s impact on his life.
Wilson, Mark K.,
and Ann Petry. "A MELUS Interview: Ann Petry. The New England
Connection." MELUS (1988): 71-84.
This is an in depth interview with Ann Petry. In this interview, Petry answers questions about her own experiences with racism and how many of her stories are based on events that she witnessed.
Mainstream Sources
Demarcations.
“Ann Petry and Harlem’s History.” Online video clip. Youtube. Youtube, 16
March, 2011. Web.5 May, 1014.
A Youtube video describing Ann Petry’s role in The Harlem Renaissance.
Griffin, Farrah J.
"Ann Petry." Harvard Magazine. Harvard Magazine Inc., Jan.-Feb. 2014.
Web. 29 Apr. 2014. <http://harvardmagazine.com/2014/01/ann-petry>.
Harvard Magazines article on Ann Petry. This magazine article also included pictures of Petry.
Horsley, Sarah K.
"Ann Petry." Web log post. Notable Women International. FemBio, 2008.
Web. 29 Apr. 2014. <http://www.fembio.org/english/biography.php/woman/biography/ann-petry/>.
Another biography about Ann Petry.
O'Donnell, Heather.
"Ann Petry
." Ann Petry : Voices From the Gaps :
University of Minnesota. University of Minnesota, 25 Nov. 1996. Web. 05 Mar.
2014. <http://voices.cla.umn.edu/artistpages/petryAnn.php>.
A brief biography of Ann Petry. This biography was provided by the University of Minnesota and describes Ann Petry’s personal life as well as her career.
Spilka, Mark.
"Eight Lessons in Love." <i>Google Books</i>. University
of Missouri Press, 1 Jan. 1997. Web. 4 May 2014.
<http://books.google.com/books?id=Jwq6pJwyEDEC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA262#v=onepage&q&f=false>.
This source features an article about the role of domestic violence in Ann Petry’s work.
Staff,
TMZ. "Donald Sterling -- NEW AUDIO RELEASED ... I Put Food on Black
People's Tables." http://www.tmz.com. N.p., 27 Apr. 2014. Web.
5 May 2014.
<http://www.tmz.com/2014/04/27/donald-sterling-new-audio-released-clippers-black-people/>.
This is an article from TMZ describing Donald Sterling’s actions that caused him to be banned from the NBA for life.
Wagner, Kyle.
"Exclusive: The Extended Donald Sterling Tape."
<i>Deadspin</i>. N.p., 27 Apr. 2014. Web. 4 May 2014.
<http://deadspin.com/exclusive-the-extended-donald-sterling-tape-1568291249>.
This article features information about Sterling's past and the recent events that led to his removal from the NBA.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)