Education

In Sugar Cane Alley, we witness a character arc in the style of the bildungsroman: José starts as a child of the plantation, playing with friends, causing trouble, doing the things young children do. When his friends break his grandmother's vase, the moment doesn't seem particularly out of the ordinary in a story of this type (similar plots might be seen in any family sitcom from Leave it to Beaver to Modern Family). However, what sets this incident apart is the way in which José is held accountable for his deed: his grandmother hits him with a switch. Why is she so upset about the broken vase? Maybe it meant a great deal to her. But more likely, in this interaction we are shown the high standard to which Maman Tine holds her grandson. In another scene, she refuses to let him join in the sugar cane fields when the other children are helping, forcing him to be idle and, therefore, distinct from the other children. All this is to create a new identity for José, one unmarked by his class so that he may move up in society. This move is accomplished in the only way Maman Tine knows: education.

The film explores issues of race and class in impoverished Martinique, but the film shows the only possible escape from this life is through schooling. José learns to read and write (and proudly passes these skills on to his friend), and eventually is able to rise to the top of his class at a private school. Even his tuition is covered by the financial aid he earns from his high marks. By providing her grandson with an education, Mama Tine gives him the opportunity to escape his birthplace and forge his own future. He is not free from the racial discrimination present in society, but he is given a chance to attain knowledge, which has tremendous value to him. Sugar Cane Alley presents the story of a boy's education, first in the informal sense via his grandmother and Monsieur Médouze, and ultimately through the same teachers as the sugar cane plantation owner's son.