Social Change In Uncle Tom's Children

In 1936, a fictional work In Dubious Battle, by John Steinbeck told a story of a man named Jim, who was put into a work field in California to help the Party’s cause. Mentored by Mac, a fellow party member, taught Jim to take any advantage you can with the workers and gain their trust. This way later they will support the party. Two years later, in 1938, a fictional work was made telling multiple stories of the lives of black people after the abolishment of slavery. Uncle Tom’s Children, by Richard Wright was looking to catch people’s attention. Even though slavery was over, there was a lot of black people being mistreated. Richard Wright wanted to show people how bad things were and wanted to make live better. In both books the authors are trying to cause social change, …show more content…
A mother would do anything for their children and will always have their back, in this story an old black mother named Sue had to do just that. Sue was a former Christian but now is in the communist party with her two sons who are the party organizers. One day Sue got word that the sheriff found out that they were having a meeting and was after her one son Johnny-Boy. Refusing to give up his whereabouts, the Sherriff beats her till she is bloody and weak and said “ Ef yuh tell us where he is nef he talks, mabbe he’ll git off easy. But ef we hafta find im, we’ll kill im! Ef we hafta find im, then yoh git a sheet t put over im in the mawnin, see? Git yuh a sheet, cause hes gonna be dead!” (Wright, pgs. 240). Once again Wright uses the aspect of violence to grab the reader’s attention and make them know that things are wrong. Readers see this image of this poor woman beaten just for her believes and this causes us to dislike the Sheriff and the way things are done. This also shows the misuse of authority that goes on in society that was going on at the time towards black