Claire Shalloe Blog Post

Both “Sugar Cane Alley” and Miguel Street are examples of stories in which a main character is placed in an environment which makes it difficult to break out of their socioeconomic status. In “Sugar Came Alley,” Jose is orphaned at a young age and cared for by his grandmother, M’Man Tine. It is clear the M’Man Tine wants a promising future for her grandson, however there are few opportunities in Martinique, where most people of their race work in the sugar cane fields. Jose’s innate intelligence is shown during his time in the classroom, specifically when his teacher asks him to recite something. His ability to recite what she asks indicates his mental capacity, which later helps Jose to gain his teacher’s support in his possibility of having a brighter future. 

In the same way Jose’s teacher helps to actualize his goal of receiving a higher education, many of the stories in Miguel Street have a similar message of moving out of one’s societal ranking. For example, in “Until the Soldier’s Come Home,” Edward tries to leave his own culture behind and assimilate into the American one. Edward’s initial attempt to become more American fails; while he tries to have a typical American family, his wife is barren, unhappy, and eventually runs away with an American soldier. This indicates that, despite Edward’s efforts, he could not become something he was not, an American. However, in the same way that Jose eventually overcomes the poverty of his home village, the short story ends with Edward marrying an American woman and starting a family. 

This short story in Miguel Street and “Sugar Cane Alley” both focus on people who seem to be stuck in a certain environment. Reading Miguel Street prior to watching the movie gave me a more optimistic view of what could come of Jose’s life. After seeing how characters like Edward could achieve what they would want in Miguel Street, I had a belief that Jose could escape his probable future as a sugar cane field worker. However, many stories end in a similar way to how they started in the collection of short stories; for example “The Coward” and “B. Wordsworth” do not have particularly happy endings. These make me realize that stories like Jose’s are rare; for every one child that receives a great opportunity, so many are left behind.