The prevalent theme in Sugar Cane Alley seems to be the
stagnant social mobility on the newly-independent island of Martinique, and the
importance of education to escape the cycle of poverty. The plot is centered on
the development of José, from
favela-terrorizing street urchin, to privately-educated scholar, partially due
his innate intelligence and talent. In several scenes we witness José tutoring an older member of the
community, Carmen, and his position as his tutor vouches for his intellectual
maturity. Yet, the catalyst for tangible growth is from his mother, who refuses
to let José work on the cane fields, as she views
them as a poverty trap and desires for José to
achieve a level of success unseen by Martinique’s working-class. Thus, Ma Tine
works backbreaking labor in the cane fields despite her illness to pay for his
education.
Jose’s school teacher mentions "Education is the second
key to freedom." This idea is reinforced in the film at several points. José is schooled privately and excels
in classes, yet the film captures the coexistence of frustration and hope
especially well when José is accused of plagiarism. This highlights the unfairness of the situation, and represents the helplessness experienced by the oppressed in every aspect of life. In reality, José’s beautifully-written piece was
inspired by Medouze-a wise, elderly figure in the community. Old Medouze
provides an informal yet equally important education for young José. He informs José of the arrival of Martinique’s
people from Africa through the French involvement with the slave trade, and tells him stories of the
more peaceful times in their native land. This enriches José’s education in a cultural sense,
giving him cognizance of the imperialistic setting in which they live.
This is all very true; education plays a huge role in the movie and is shown to give Jose a hope for a life beyond Sugar Cane Alley. I like also that you point out that his education comes in several forms--there is the formal schooling as well as the cultural education by Medouze and other members of his neighborhood. Jose shows throughout an unquenchable desire to learn, but is often set back by outside factors--being late to class, medouze's death, his own poverty, etc. However he shows he knows the value of all his education when he refutes what the black ticket seller says--that she is ashamed to watch black people commit crimes "when they are already black."
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