Society's Issues Through Literature

Deonte White                                                                                                                           Hamlin                                                                                                                                     English 101                                                                                                                                 Essay # 5
Society’s Issues through Literature
In Toni Cade Bambara’s The Lesson and Louise Erdwich’s The Red Convertible both authors wrote literature based on their real life issues in society such as racism, war, economical problems and more. In these stories, the narrators can see through different situations how society’s problems change a person’s mind set, and state of being through their attitudes and feelings toward their closest relationships, their view of the world, and their main concern. However, even though there are similarities between the stories, there are also differences. While in The Lesson, which focuses on how poverty can prevent opportunities for education, The Red Convertible focuses on the relationship between brothers and how war can change a family.
In these stories, both narrators’ attitude and feelings toward and through their close relationships shows how society actions change people. In The Red Convertible, narrator, Lyman’s brother, Henry was overseas for two years fighting in the Vietnam War. "When he came home, though, Henry was very different, and I'll say this: the change was no good...The whole war was solved in the government's mind, but for him it would keep on going" (Erdrich 396). This quote shows that soon as Henry returned home Lyman noticed a change in him. “It was a fact: Henry was jumpy and mean” (Erdrich 396). Due to the events in the Vietnam War it was like his spirit was crushed. This story showed how war can ruin the family and crush every good feeling. In The Lesson, the main character and narrator Sylvia...