Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Coming of Age in Mississippi, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Intersection of Racism and Poverty
Loss of Innocence
The Importance of Community
Gender and Racism
Religion and Hypocrisy
Summary
Analysis
Anne arrives in New Orleans with the hope of earning money at her old restaurant job to pay for college. However, business at the restaurant is worse than it was the previous summer. Anne writes to Coach Dunbar and asks him for help getting a scholarship for college. Eventually, she hears from the basketball coach at Natchez College that she has received a scholarship. With her savings, she splurges on a three-piece luggage set that she later realizes is breaking apart. When Anne arrives at Natchez College, she is shocked at how small it is—the entire campus consists of three buildings. Anne later enters the women’s dorm and meets Mrs. Evans, the dorm matron.
The lack of business at the restaurant, disappointment in the facilities in Natchez College, and disappointment in the quality of her luggage demonstrates that, despite Anne having already worked extremely hard and achieving amazing things, she still has a long way to go due to the systemic injustices that exist in the United States.
Themes
Anne gets a job in the kitchen and clashes with the cook, Miss Harris, who tries to get information from her about the other students. She also clashes with Miss Adams, the girls’ basketball coach, who imposes strict rules on the team’s behavior and is having an affair with the Dean of the college. The Dean takes a special interest in Anne, staring at her and taking pleasure in her discomfort. This makes Miss Adams jealous, and she lashes out at Anne by giving her more difficult chores than the other girls. When Anne refuses to comply, Miss Adams reports her to the President. However, the President scratches out all of Miss Adams’s rules and, in retaliation, Miss Adams drops Anne from first string to second string on the team.
Anne’s refusal to put up with poor treatment of the students and overly restrictive rules demonstrates her natural ability to stand up for her beliefs. Furthermore, she shows her commitment to solidarity in community by not giving into Miss Harris’s pressure to gossip. Miss Adams’s punishment, meanwhile, reflects a common reaction of authority figures against challenges. Though it causes Miss Adams to drop Anne from the team, the President’s decision to scratch out Miss Adams’s rules provides hope that Anne’s activist efforts might pay off.
Themes
Anne dislikes Natchez College. She describes feeling more like a prisoner there than when she “worked for white Klan members back home.” She describes the weekly supervised trips into town that she and the other students take. Because the school is supported by the Baptist church, the staff members try to protect the girls from “evil influences,” and they supervise them much more than they do the male students. Anne finds her classmates to be sheltered and considers herself a “loner” once again. Though Anne does not wish to return the following year, other schools are too expensive for her, and she enrolls for the next term
Anne’s challenges reflect the negative impact of a highly controlled environment. The school’s affiliation with the Baptist church further pushes Anne’s skepticism of the church. The difference in treatment between the girls and the boys shows a double standard in the rules of Natchez College. Anne’s continued feeling of isolation highlights the loneliness of standing up for one’s beliefs, yet her decision to stay showcases her determination to get an education.
Themes
