JSU Student Symposium 2022

Allegory, Girls, and Intra-racial Conflict

Title

Allegory, Girls, and Intra-racial Conflict

Date

2-15-2022

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Teresa Reed

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Files

Submission Type

Paper

Location

8:30-8:40am | Houston Cole Library, 11th Floor

Description

“Allegory, Girls, and Intra-racial Conflict” explores how the use of allegory in Karen Russell’s “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Werewolves” allows readers to understand the effects of respectability politics on unity in minority communities. In the story of St. Lucy’s, the daughters of werewolves are sent to the titular school where they are taught how to behave like humans and forget their werewolf customs. The girls distancing themselves from their sister - who is failing to assimilate into human culture - are akin to members of minority communities who will dissociate with said community to appeal to the majority population. Understanding Russell's story this way provides further insight into the Black Lives Matter movement and the mixed reception it received from Black citizens during the May 2020 protests. Therefore, the content of this paper is significant because Russell’s allegory allows for understanding that can lead to effective discussions and solutions in regard to the issues affecting minority communities.

Keywords

student research, literature

Rights

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Disciplines

African American Studies

Allegory, Girls, and Intra-racial Conflict
COinS