Reflection Book Two: The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman

In this book we can read how the South started to change its politics and adaptation to the new life. Mr. Bone was someone who respected the black people and their freedom. As soon as the southerners returned to control, we see the racist social order again. The northern businessman began to lend money to the southern so that they could regain what they lost because of the war. It is truly a contradiction coming from the north. They wanted the slaves to be free and they stayed a while to “reconstruct” the south again but when they left, they basically gave them all the tools they needed to continue to do the things the old style.

Jane knew that slavery was back because of this and the radical white groups who start to threaten her, and specially, Ned. He was always willing to help his people in every way he could. For him, the only way things could change for them is if they take action and start to fight for their rights and not settle.

“I’m telling you all this because I want my children to be men, I want my children to fight. Fight for all- not just for a corner. The black man or white man who tell you to stay in a corner want to keep your mind in a corner too. I’m building that school so you’ll have a chance to get from out of the corner.” (P.87)

Because of his desire to improve the society among the blacks, he gets killed. The white men portray themselves as very powerful and better than the blacks, but in reality they were nothing more than cowards. They used masks and dressed up so that you wouldn’t recognize them. They were in groups when they attacked single black men. This behavior coming from the whites is very ironic so in reality they were the only cowards back then, like Cluveau, not Ned. Men at that time had to constantly prove themselves and the society of their masculinity somehow. This need also put in danger the life of Joe and it cost him his death. In this case however, nobody else had the fault.

“That's man's way. To prove something. Day in, day out he must prove he is a man. Poor Fool.” (P.74)

Ned wanted to take Jane with him but I infer she refused to because she had already done that once and got a taste of how cruel was the world. Another reason was because of how the northerners have let her down once and again, so she eventually had to accept that she was living in a racist society. She was certainly not like Molly who didn’t internalized that they were no longer slaves. Molly wanted that things stayed the same as they were for some unknown reason.

Things certainly does not go as you may predict. This book reveals other hard memories Jane experienced. This book impacted me more than the first because it portrays all of the true consequences of the war and the depth of the fight of the African American in order to survive.