The Theme Of Respect In Gwendolyn Brook's Novel 'Maud Martha'

Respect is something that everyone in their life wants to have and knows that it takes a lot to gain it. During the 1940’s and the 1950’s woman in general did not have a lot of respect, but if you were a Black woman during this time, it was even worse. In Gwendolyn Brook’s novel Maud Martha, displays the idea that Black woman had to be beautiful, obedient, and is able to produce children in order to have respect. Gwendolyn Brooks brings this idea forward with her characters Helen and Martha in her novel Maud Martha. The idea of respectability politics is that if a minority group, in this situation it is Black woman, they most act in a certain way in order to gain any sort of respect. In regards to woman, they had to be this beautiful, obedient
But, on the other hand because she was an obedient wife by keeping her mouth shut when her husband was dancing with a White woman and also cheating. She also did not say anything when the storeowner used a very offensive word to another White woman. Martha also had children, she did what society expected of her to do. It is as if gaining respect had a checklist almost. Does she have a job? Yes, she has a job. Check. Is she beautiful? Dang right she is beautiful. Check. Is she obedient? She does everything her husband says and does not speak when it is not her place. Check. Does she have any children? Yes, she has children and she did not even scream during the birth. Check. What if Martha never met this check list, or at least most of it anyway? What if Martha had been untamable, like her was in the beginning of the novel? What would her life been like if she were to have said something to her husband when he danced with a White woman and cheated on her? One could only guess that her husband might have abused her verbally or physically because she would be disobedient if she had said anything to him. What if Martha had divorced her husband? One could only guess that society would see her as the one that messed up and the husband was that wanted the divorce, not Martha. What if Martha would have never had any children? One could only guess that she would be seen as a baron woman. What if Martha had spoken out when the storeowner had said the N-word to the costumer? One could only guess that she had an uncontrollable mouth. All together had she done all of these things, one could only guess that she would have lost the respect of everyone. In the end of all of this, it seems as though Martha did care that she had respect, even though she did gain it. It seems as though she found herself through all of the