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Coming of Age in missippi

            The Development of Anne Moody as an Individual.
             Anne Moody's Autobiography Coming of Age in Mississippi depicts her daily life in detail, as a young black woman growing up in the pre-civil rights era in the south. As she matures her experiences within her family and with in society shape the woman she eventually develops into. Through most of her childhood experiences she learns the social significance of race and gender on her own because her mother avoids confronting the issue because she feels society can't be changed. The lack of information about society that Anne received from her mother caused her to explore life on her own and question the standards of the time, rather than assimilating herself into an unfair society. Anne uses her observations of the different aspects of society to determine her own identity as a strong black woman who is willing to stand up for what she believes in with hopes of future progress for African Americans in the United States. .
             The first time Anne is really confronted with the issue of racial differences is when she makes friends with some white neighbors and goes to the movies with them. When arriving at the movies she learns that she cant sit in the regular seats with the other whites but instead must sit in the balcony with other blacks. When she runs to meet her friends her mother yells and Anne comments, "Mama kept telling us that we couldn't sit downstairs, we couldn't do this or that with white children. Up until that time I had never really thought about it. But I never knew why" (Moody 38). Anne's mother never explains to her why black children couldn't do the same things white children do, in fact her mother avoids these type of questions at all costs. Throughout her childhood this thought is constantly in the back of Anne's mind making her more curious as to why society is the way it is.
             Anne is confronted with racism again through the relationship her mother has with Raymond, a "yellow" man.


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  • Word Count: 936
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

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