Grandma India’s Influence on Melba in “Warriors don’t Cry.”

Role Models in Our Lives

Every person has role models who have characters to emulate in the real world. These characters possess certain qualities that people admire. Melba Beals understood the important role that models play in the lives of their followers. In her book “Warriors Don’t Cry,” the author develops a character that influences the actions of the protagonist. Grandma India is a religious woman who believes that God does not forsake those who have faith in Him. He watches over His loved ones and approves of their actions.

Besides, she is a woman whom people respect and seek advice from whenever they face challenges. Due to her unique qualities, the woman significantly influences the actions of Melba Beals in the novel. Melba shares with India the challenges that she faces in her new school. In addition, she hopes to possess the same qualities as India when she grows up. The close bond between the two characters enables them to solve problems that they face in the memoir. Although India is not involved directly in the fight against the segregationists, she relies on her influence over Beals to ensure that she wins the war.

Protection Amidst Adversity

The main mission of India in the memoir is to protect Melba. Although the task is difficult, given her old age, she succeeds in keeping the young girl safe from all forms of danger. The Little Rock Nine arrive at Central High School for the first time in the morning, but the white students shout racial remarks at them along the hallways and in class. The situation becomes worse when the parents of the students break into the school compound and demand the expulsion of the black students. In response, India sleeps with Mr. Higgonbottom on her lap for the whole night out of fear of another attack by the community members. Moreover, India prevents Beals from attending the wrestling match out of fear that the white community may recognize her as the leader of the Little Rock Nine.

Faith as a Guiding Principle

Moreover, India is a religious woman who uses her faith to provide Melba with a sense of purpose. She fortifies the faith of the young girl in God throughout the book. She also constantly reminds Melba that she is a child of God and that the opinion of the other children should not matter to her. The advice that Grandma India offers Beals helps her realize the fact that she is not an average child. For instance, at the end of the fourth chapter, she tells Beal that God’s warriors don’t cry. As a result, Melba realizes that God intervenes for people who do not give up. She also understands that as a black child, she must stand up against white oppressors in her neighborhood and school who are keen on limiting the integration of blacks in Central High School. Therefore, Beals must overlook her age and face the adult white population who do not want her to attend a school for whites.

Navigating Racial Tensions Respectfully

Grandma India also shows Beals that there are respectful ways of dealing with white oppressors in the community. Evidently, the old lady is not afraid to face the white people who harass black students and adults. She is courageous enough to point out their mistakes when they commit a crime. Beals learns from her grandmother to avoid unnecessary confrontations. For example, Melba overcomes the temptation to fight back Andy and his friend. Consequently, Melba avoids suspension from school when she adopts a neutral stance in the face of the attacks by the segregationists. However, the school administrators suspended Minnijean because she fought off white students who attacked her in the cafeteria over lunch.

The Enduring Spirit of India

Significantly, India is a persistent woman who understands that the fight against segregation may take many years. The quality of persistence comes in handy when she has to help Melba succeed in her God-given assignment. Notably, India demonstrates her reprimanding character by scolding Melba when she writes in her diary, “I wish I were dead.” She also creates a vivid image of newspaper headlines regarding her death, “Melba Patillo dies by her own hand because she was afraid of facing God’s assignment for her.”

The next day, when some boys attack Melba with eggs on the stairwell, India becomes philosophical and tells her that the eggs are food for her hair. Apparently, the character does not condone feelings of despair on the part of Beals. In fact, she tells the leading role that “dignity is a state of mind.” In the next chapters, it becomes evident that India has immense influence over her granddaughter because Beals eventually becomes a determined woman in the fight against segregation.

India also demonstrates considerable influence in the memoir. Although she is an old woman, she has dealt with various challenges during the course of her life. Members of the Beals family heed her advice. The faith that the family members have in India gives her the strength to carry on with her mission. In fact, Melba has more faith in her grandmother than the rest of the family based on the fact that she shares her secrets with India in the garden. In response, India helps Melba to overcome the challenges that she faces during the war against the segregationists.

India further appears to stake a claim for the elusive role of a warrior because of her loyal and fearless traits. During the fight to ensure segregation in Little Rock, she develops from a minor character to an individual who acts as the role model to the young Melba. The parents of India did not raise her to fear white people. In fact, it is her lack of fear of the white man that helps Melba handle the bigotry of the students at Central High School. Besides, she believes in the timing of God, which is a feeling that she instills in her granddaughter. Melba learns to accept discrimination while waiting for the courts to put an end to racial discrimination in the town.

In conclusion, India contributed to the success of Melba in various ways. She teaches the young girl about the importance of believing in God and waiting on Him. When Melba receives her admission letter to the Central High School, these lessons about faith and perseverance come in handy. Melba also learns to ignore the hateful remarks directed at her and forgive the students who make her life in the school unbearable. More importantly, India draws on her experience to equip Melba with the needed qualities to end discrimination in the town. In addition, India understands that Melba has the right qualities that can help her put an end to racial abuse in Little Rock. The influence that she has over the young girl gives her the strength to foster her faith and courage.

References

• Beals, M. (1994). Warriors Don’t Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High. Pocket Books.

Did you like this example?

320

13