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 Essie Mae begins the eighth grade, her family is struggling with money more than ever. Because most of her clothes do not fit her, she begins wearing her jeans to school. When she gets extra attention from boys as a result, the other girls start to wear jeans to school as well. When Homecoming comes along, Essie, much to her surprise, is voted Homecoming Queen of the eighth grade. Then, because the eighth grade raised the most money for the school, she becomes Homecoming Queen of the whole school.
When Essie Mae gets extra attention from boys due to wearing jeans to school, she begins to experience sexualized objectification from the men in her surrounding society. The fact that the other girls follow the trend demonstrates the inherent misogyny that causes the girls to dress for male approval. On another note, Essie Mae’s election to Homecoming Queen is a turning point in her self-image, as she is able to see herself as a leader and valuable member of her community.
Themes
Essie Mae is overjoyed at being Homecoming Queen until she realizes that she has nothing to wear. Linda Jean offers her a dress, which Essie Mae doesn’t like. When Essie Mae arrives home, Mama tells her that she wrote to Daddy’s cousin Clara to tell Daddy to buy Essie Mae a gown. The day before the parade, when Essie Mae is sure that she will have to wear Linda Jean’s dress, her cousin Clara tells her to come over. Daddy is there with a beautiful gown for Essie Mae to wear. Though Essie Mae is very happy about the dress, she still feels distant from Daddy, as she hasn’t seen him in years.
Essie Mae’s joy is quickly overshadowed by the reminder of her family’s circumstances. Mama’s decision to ask Daddy for help is in sharp contrast with her earlier attitudes towards Daddy. This change in attitude demonstrates that the pride Essie Mae can bring to the family as Homecoming Queen outweighs Mama’s resentment towards Daddy, highlighting the importance of being a valued part of the community.
Themes
Before the Homecoming Parade, Essie Mae gets her hair and makeup done. When she rides through town on the float and sees the way the people in town are looking at her, she realizes that she is no longer a little girl. As the crowd sings the songs “Dixie” and “Swanee River,” Essie Mae observes the different reactions of the white and Black people in town, with the white people seeming nostalgic and the Black people seeming sad. This leaves her feeling sad.
The Homecoming Parade functions as a significant turning point in Essie Mae’s life, as it marks her transition to young adulthood. This transition is gendered, since her transformation into a valued adult community member apparently rests on the fact that she looks beautiful. Essie Mae’s observations about the emotionally loaded nature of the mostly older crowd reminds her and the reader of the weight of history on her community.
Themes
