How Does The Change In Roll Of Thunder Hear My Cry A Coming Of Age Novel

Jack Meyers

Mrs.Dear

English

7th Period

Cassie Growing

In coming-of-age stories, a certain character grows and changes. In Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Cassie grows in many ways. During the 1930s, racism was a huge problem but Cassie didn’t know that yet. Cassie barely knew what racism was. She was at an age where her positive and negative qualities would affect her for life. Mildred D. Taylor uses scenes of racism and fear in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry to show the realities Cassie must face along with descriptive events to show the positive and negative qualities she begins to demonstrate in this coming-of-age story.

At the beginning of the novel Cassie experiences racism for the first time. During her first day of school, the teacher presents every student with a book. Cassie sees that they are old and tattered and is not that excited, but then she sees

In the night she hears T.J. knocking at the door. T.J. comes in with a huge blue, swollen spot on his chest. He tells Cassie and her brothers about his robbery with R.W. and Melvin in Strawberry. T.J. was afraid because the authorities knew it was him. Then there is a knocking at the door and they hear voices. Two of the voices were out of place “Why, ain’t… Ain’t that R.W. and Melvin?” (252) Cassie said as she heard their voices outside the door. Then someone broke a window and took T.J. Cassie and her brothers followed them to the Granger land where Melvin said “And why not [get] the boy he’s working for too?” (255) referencing Stacey. Cassie learned that night that R.W. and Melvin could squeeze out of just about anything because they were white, she also saw the men willing to kill a black child for robbery (a crime nowadays would have a child sentenced to juvenile detention). Cassie learned that night to love one of her enemies (T.J.) and be a leader by protecting her family. As you can see this is the biggest reality Cassie has faced