Memories of Childhood

Introduction

Memories of Childhood is a collection of two autobiographical episodes written by Native American writer Zitkala – Sa and Tamil writer Bama. Both these writers belong to marginalised communities and talk about their experiences of discrimination in their childhood.

Zitkala – Sa remembers how she was taken away from her mother to be introduced into a school run by white Americans. She remembers her first day at Carlisle Indian school when the people who run the school force her to cut her hair. She feels anguish and helplessness as she is completely opposed to that action. 

Bama recounts her childhood the social injustice imposed upon her community in the form of untouchability. A simple funny event that she experiences turns out to be an ugly form of discrimination. 

Summary of Chapter

The story begins with Zitkala’s first day in a boarding school Carlisle Indian school. It is a school opened for native Indians where they are trained to leave behind their own culture and become part of the American culture. Zitkala describes that she really felt bad when a shawl is taken off her shoulders by the school authorities before entering into the dining hall. She also wonders about how the other Indian girls agreed to wear tight clothes which were immodest according to her. Even their hair was cut short which according to the author was not good. Her mother had told her only a coward’s hair should be shaved off. Later on Zitkala and other girls were taken to the dining hall where she was keenly noticed by a woman for not following the table manners. Judewin, another Indian girl tells her that the  woman has decided to cut her hair. Zitkala revolts back as she does not want to look like a coward. She hides herself under a bed in a room. Everyone starts searching for her and finally she is caught. She is tied up and her hair cuts down. She felt so depressed and humiliated with this. She reminded her mother who would have comforted her during this hard time. 

Bama narrates her experience growing up as a child in her native place. She remembers an event when she was studying in third class. People at that time did not discuss untouchability openly. She was returning from school. It took thirty minutes, which could actually be covered in ten minutes. She enjoyed watching each scene and event on her way to home. There were shops, street vendors, political gatherings.

One day when she reached her street, she saw that a threshing floor was set up, and a landlord was watching over the work done by his men. The people working on the threshing floor belonged to the her community.  She noticed an elder from her community carrying a small packet funnily. The man carefully held the strings of the packet without touching it. She guessed the packet would have some food. She believed that the package could come undone and the food might fall if it was carried that way. The whole act looked silly to her. The man approached the landlord and offered him the package cupped in his hands. The landlord then took it out of the man’s hand and started eating the vadais.

The narrator went home and told the humorous story to her brother. Her brother explained entire episode to her. He told that the landlord belonged upper-caste. Touching people of lower caste could pollute the upper caste people, that is why the elderly man had to carry the packet by its strings. Bama got angered to listen it as the food was first wrapped in a banana leaf than wrapping paper. 

Bama learned that all this discrimination is happening due to richness and poverty. When Bama's elder brother, who studied at a university, returned home during holidays, he often went to the library in the nearby village to borrow books. One day, he was walking along the banks of an irrigation tank when one of the landlord’s men came behind him and enquired about him. The man first asked his name and then the street where he lived to determine his caste. The narrator’s brother explained to her that because they were born in the community of untouchables, they were deprived of dignity and respect. The only way to counter that was to educate themselves. That way, they would receive recognition and people would engage in meaningful relationships with them.

The words that her brother spoke that day made a profound impact on the narrator’s mind. She studied very hard and stood first in her class. As a result, many people became her friends.

Q1.The two accounts of  "Memories of Childhood" describe two distant cultures. Elucidate the commonality of theme found in both of them?

Ans. The two accounts given in the unit ‘Memories of Childhood’ are based in two distant cultures. Two  writers from marginalized communities look back on their childhood. They reflect on their relationship with the mainstream.
They faced discrimination, oppression, humiliation, suffering and insults. 

Zitkala-Sa describes the prejudice that prevailed towards the Native American culture and women. Depriving her of her blanket that covered her shoulders made her look bad in her own eyes. The cutting of her long hair reduces her status in her society. Hair cut is done only by defeated warriors and cowards. The replacing of her moccasins by squeaking shoes and “eating by formula” at breakfast table are other signs of forcible erosion of their own culture and imposition of dogma on them.

Bama highlights the humiliations faced by the untouchables who were never given any honour, dignity or respect as they were born in lower classes. They were made to live apart, run errands, and bow humbly to the masters. They scrupulously avoided direct contact with the people of higher classes or the things used by them. The sense of rebellion against the existing state of affairs and decision to improve them are also common themes.

Q2. It may take a long time for oppression to be resisted, but the seeds of rebellion are sowed early in life. Do you agree that injustice in any form cannot escape being noticed even by children?

Ans. Children are more sensitive and observant than the adults. They see, hear, feel and experience whatever happens around them. They are quick to note any deviation from the normal. 

Bama at first, thinks the behavior of the elder of her community is quite funny. He is holding the packet by string and running with it awkwardly. But when she learns the reason of his behavior in that particular manner her emotions aroused against the cruel, rich people of upper castes who shamelessly exploit and insult them. She is ready to rebel against the oppression by snatching the packet from the landlord and eating them herself.  Her elder brother asked her to study with care and make progress. We see the seeds of rebellion in her.

Zitkala-Sa too shows that she has the seeds of rebellion in her even at an early age. Her friend Judewin tells her that the authorities are going to cut their long, heavy hair. She says that they have to submit, because they (authorities) are strong. But Zitkala-Sa rebels. She declares that she will not submit. She will struggle first. She carried out her resolution. She hides herself to foil their attempt. When she is detected hiding under the bed and dragged out, she resists by kicking and scratching wildly. She is overpowered and tied fast in a chair, but she does not take things lying down. The spark of rebellion in her is not put out by oppression.

Q3. Bama’s experience is that of a victim of the caste system. What kind of discrimination does Zitkala-Sa’s experience depict? What are their responses to their respective situations?
Ans. Bama is a victim of the caste system as she has been born in a dalit community. Zitkala- Sa is a Native American who finds that the people who have overpowered the natives are out to destroy their culture. She notices the discrimination against Native American culture and women. The cutting of her long hair is a symbolic of subjection to the rulers. In their culture, only unskilled warriors who were captured had their hair cut by the enemy. She is deprived of her soft moccasins—the shoes worn by Native Americans. Her blanket has been removed from her shoulders and she feels shy and indecent. The rules observed at the breakfast table are alien to her.
Both of them rebel against the existing circumstances. They do not bow down to their situations. They struggle hard to remove the discrimination and other barriers raised by people in power. Their struggle is against oppression, prejudice, dogma, superstition and ignorance. The tool with which they carry out their struggle is education. Both Zitkala- Sa and Bama study hard and earn a name for themselves. They take to writing and distinguish themselves in their respective fields. Their works depict their viewpoints and carry on their struggle against the discrimination that constraint and binds the free flow of their spirits.