Revolt of the Evil Fairies essay

 

In the amazingly interesting short story “Revolt of the Evil Fairies”, there are many themes.  The theme that stuck out the most was racism.  Now racism was and still is a horrible, disgusting thing.  In this story racism still goes on in the African American community.  The narrator wants to be the part of Prince Charming but can’t do so.  The reason for that is because the complexion of his skin.  In Booker T. Washington colored grammar school.    There is discrimination based on your skin.  This is terrible because the children with lighter complexion get everything better.

In one part of “Revolt of the Evil Fairies” it had said that even the smartest of children who were completely dark skinned could never get the same part that a “yaller” would.  The “yaller” would be treated better and get the leading roles in school plays.  “Yallers” got casted always as the good fairies and the others would be supporting roles and the evil fairies.  The narrator goes out for the part of Prince Charming, because Sarah Williams, a crush of his, had gotten the role of sleeping beauty.  That means if he were to get the role he would get to kiss her.    But since he is of a darker skin tone he doesn’t get the part.  Leonardius Wright was casted as Prince Charming because he was a “yaller”. 

Later in the story, the narrator “slumped into the shadows” as Leonardius hit him over the head with his sword.  The narrator felt he did it purposely.   And so did I.  Leonardius thought he was better than the narrator because he had a lighter skin tone.  Leonardius was treated better than all of the other kids.  The narrator told Miss LaPrade, the director of the play, that Leonardius had a devilish look in his eyes. And that he intended to hit him.  The narrator never liked Leonardius because he pictured him as a “goody goody”.  Nobody believed the narrator that Leonardius intended to actually hit him over the head in the second act of the play.  That shows how that the “Yallers” thought they were better than everybody else.

The narrator said how all the “Yallers” got the better jobs in their community.  They were the Negro doctors, lawyers and insurance men.  If you were lighter skinned you could get much farther than if you were darker skinned.   This shows that the “yallers” got everything much better and still the narrator could not be Prince Charming.   Still at the audition put all of his heart into the role, and knew it from start to finish.  But Miss LaPrade insisted that he be the evil fairy because that part was much more important that prince charming.    He had played that same part for a long time. Of course he didn’t want to be that part; however the narrator wanted to be the best head evil fairy they have ever seen.

To conclude I believe that racism is a strong theme in this story.  Also if this was real I would make it so the school was equal in every aspect.  So that a kid like the narrator would be able to go out and try and get that leading part in a play and not have to worry that “oh my skin is darker than his he’s definitely getting the part” This was a very intriguing short story and I think Ted Poston really tried to publish a piece that tells the reader that racism is a horrible thing.