Brown Girl Brownstones Sparknotes

The Psychological Journey of Selina Boyce Selina Boyce’s character in Brown Girl, Brownstones by Paule Marshall is a strong, brave, and intelligent one. She is also opinionated and determined. She was not always like this, however. Different experiences in her life cause her to become the young lady she is now. For example, she needs to be strong to cope with the death of her father, and the loss of her boyfriend. She is opinionated because of how she views the association as opposed to how everyone else views it. She is also determined because she finds different ways she could leave her brownstones house in Brooklyn. As a child, Selina probably did not think she would be faced with any of these incidents. Her mental state at that age was
At age eleven, for instance, she is adamant about never going through puberty. When Beryl explains to her that every girl must have menstruation, Selina simply says, “It’s never going to happen to me.” Beryl then proceeds to tell her she could die if it does not happen by the time she is twenty, to which Selina replies, “Well then I’ll just die.” (50). Even though Beryl is explaining to her what every girl must endure, Selina is sure that it is not true and that she will never have to be faced with it. This also shows her stubbornness. Both that and her naivety are evident when she is older. When Miss Thompson is telling her about the association, she refuses to believe they are doing anything right. Miss Thompson encourages her to go, but she only says, “I wouldn’t be caught dead there with those money-changers.” Miss Thompson then accuses her of being afraid that she will change her ideas. Selina responds with, “Change my ideas! It would just convince me that I’m right.” (186). Nevertheless, Miss Thompson makes her promise to go. Selina keeps this promise, but when she goes, she tells the young people exactly what she thinks of the association – that “it stinks.” She calls the members “a band of small frightened people. Clannish. Narrow-minded. Selfish...” (195). After this incident she rejects the idea of returning and apologizing. It is not until she realises she needs the money for the scholarship so she and
That is to be two things: brave and free. At the start of the novel, it tells a situation in which Selina proves she is not brave as yet. “At the moment she hurled herself forward, her hand reached back to grasp the banister, and the contradiction of her movement flung her back on the step. She huddled there, rubbing her injured elbow and hating her cowardice.” (2-3). The first instance in which she tries to be brave and succeeds is when she tells everyone she could of her mother’s plans to sell her father’s land. No one really believes her, though, and they do not do anything about it. Her mother calls her “David with a sling.” (90). She is finally victorious in her courageousness when she confronts her mother once and for all. She calls her out on her father’s death and tells her that she is leaving for good. This ties in with her need for freedom. From the time she was a child she craves this. When she goes to Prospect Park with Beryl, she claims she is free. However, she realises she could be freer when she sees a couple kissing. “But their freedom was richer, fuller and denied her.” (47). The only way she could feel fully free was to depart, and so she plans to do when she is