The Realities of Racism in The Author's Childhood in Dust Tracks on a Road, an Autobiography by Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston, in her autobiography Dust Tracks on a Road, enriches our sense of her childhood by not just using lush descriptive imagery that paints a romanticized portrait of a life once innocent and free from racial prejudices, but as well as the harsh reality of contrast between the clashing mentalities of her unsubmissive albeit socially unwary mother and her father, who was hardened by the realities of racism.

Hurston begins the passage describing the almost utopian landscape of her home in the South, making note of the hundreds of “fleshy, white, fragrant” jasmine blooms lining the entrance and the abundance of fruits, chicken, home-cured meat, and eggs she and her siblings had access to in their garden. Her heavy usage of the word “plenty” and romanization of the living conditions in Hurston’s home mirrors the wide-eyed awe and wonder of any child in the presence of anything unlimited in number, even common foods. Hurston describes how most most of her childhood was spent at home, which explains the fascination she had of the very “rare” apple or beef stew that came from Papa’s trip to Orlando or the North. Hurston also acknowledges her younger self’s unbridled joy and enthusiasm through the retelling of her and her siblings passing the time with merry playtimes. She recounts the times when she played “hide and whoop, chick-mah-chick, and other boisterous games” with several other children, continuing the lighthearted description of innocent childhood imagination.

However, later in the passage, Hurston shifts to a somewhat darker tone as she reveals the contrast between her mother and father. Hurston was encouraged by her mother to “jump at de su”, to keep her “sassy tongue” and “stiff neck” rather than turn herself into a submissive little girl. Her father was the polar opposite, constantly warning Hurston of the white folks and the dangers that awaits her and her resistance to become a “mealy mouthed rag doll”. This introduction of conflict turns the passage into a darker, but more realistic direction; Hurston’s childhood was starting to become threatened by the presence of the white man. Hurston voices her past confusion with her dad’s anger. She speaks distantly of the impending threat, understating the reality of the situation by calling her father “not so hopeful” and saying that “it did not do too well for Negroes to have too much spirit”. It would make sense that Hurston as a child wouldn’t comprehend the severity of racial prejudice; she had spent all her life sheltered within an all black community with a mother that was as equally sheltered within an all black community.