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
When school starts in Canton that fall, Anne becomes more aware of the severity of the poverty in the area. When she befriends a single mother with five children, she is reminded of her own impoverished childhood. When Anne receives her first check from CORE, she spends it on clothes, books, and food for the children. Soon afterward, the CORE office receives clothing and food shipments.
As Anne grows up, she understands her childhood poverty in a systemic context, knowing that it is all too common. Anne’s generosity towards the single mother and her daughters reflects her commitment to living in alignment with her values. It also reflects the idea that the physical health and fulfillment of one’s community is essential for the path towards liberation.
Themes
Anne becomes depressed before her 23rd birthday because she has not received a card from Mama or Adline. Learning of this, Anne’s fellow CORE workers Dave Dennis, George, and Mattie throw her a small party. They stay up all night talking and playing cards. Anne writes that, oftentimes, she and her fellowship volunteers stayed up at night because they were afraid that someone would kill them while they were sleeping.
In the absence of a card from Mama, Anne’s fellow CORE workers become a sort of family for her. Though their all-night party is sweet, the fact that they are accustomed to staying up all night out of fear shows the dark side of this joy.
Themes
On September 15, 1963—Anne’s 23rd birthday—a church is bombed in Birmingham, killing several Sunday school students. Anne runs to a nearby graveyard and talks to God. She talks about how she has been taught about forgiveness all her life, and she asks if He will forgive the killers. She says that if God is white, she is through with worshipping him. If God is Black, she wants to kill him. She declares, “from now on, I am my own God.” Anne returns to the CORE office and tells George that the community has been relying on prayer for too long and while the civil rights movement has religion as a tool, the white population has religion as well as political and physical power. Anne is disillusioned with nonviolent tactics.
The tragic event of the bombing corresponding with Anne’s birthday represents the fact that Anne’s life and coming of age has been defined by witnessing racism and injustice. This incident is the climax of Anne’s ambivalent relationship with religion. Anne’s statement that she is her own God highlights her own self-determination and commitment to living by her own values. Her disillusionment with nonviolent tactics demonstrates that injustice can drive people to violence. She also expresses anger at the fact that white people do not adhere to the standard of nonviolence and seem to embrace religion and violence simultaneously.
Themes
