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
A few days later, Anne returns to Canton—only for Mrs. Chinn to tell her that she is wasting her time and that she believes the Movement cannot succeed on its own. Anne sees C.O. Chinn in jail and reflects on how powerful he used to be. On the street, she runs into Bob Moses, who asks her to come testify at the COFO hearings in Washington. She sits next to a 12-year-old boy, Gene Young, who encourages her to cheer up. As she listens to the bus sing “We Shall Overcome,” all she can think is “I wonder.”
Despite the incredible work that Anne has done, she remains skeptical about the impact of her activism. C.O. Chinn’s fall from power shows the possible consequences for Black people attempting to fight for their own liberation. Though skeptical, she boards the COFO bus. Gene represents optimism in the movement. As Anne listens to the young activists sing, her uncertainty about her own future and the future of the Movement is the final thought of the memoir. For the contemporary reader, this open-ended conclusion invokes the thought that, though society has come very far, it still has a long way to go in its path towards justice.
Themes
