Summary of Memories of Childhood
Memories of Childhood is a profound collection of autobiographical episodes in which the Native American author Zitkala-Sa and the Tamil author Bama share their profound childhood experiences of discrimination. Zitkala-Sa recalls being separated from her mother in order to attend a school run by white Americans. The school authorities forced her to cut her long, lustrous hair, which in her culture signified bravery and well-being. She vividly recalls the anguish and desolation that engulfed her at the time. On her first day at Carlisle Indian School, she felt like a bird in captivity yearning for flight, but her hopes were in vain.
In another autobiographical episode, Bama describes how she learned about the social injustice and untouchability imposed on her community. She discovered the ugly form of discrimination that was pervasive in society through one of her childhood experiences. However, the humorous occurrence she witnessed that day proved to be an eye-opener, and her perspective on the world began to shift.
The Cutting of My Long Hair
Zitkala – Sa recounts her first day at a residential school in Zitkala – Sa. Winter is present when she first enrols in school. On her first day, the breakfast bell rang loudly and she was surrounded by a constant cacophony of sounds. She found the noises irritating, and her soul yearned for freedom, but in vain. She was stripped of her blanket and compelled to join a line of girls heading to the dining room. A woman with pale skin followed the line. Girls were required to wear stiff shoes and snug dresses. The smaller girls had shingled hair and wore sleeved aprons. The narrator felt that the girls were inappropriately attired, but they did not care.
As they entered the dining room, three young boys entered through the door on the opposite wall. The narrator observed a small bell being rung, followed by the three boys pulling chairs from under the dining table. The narrator imitated them before discovering that the remaining individuals were still standing. When the second bell rang, she began to stand, and everyone else pulled their chairs out from under the table. The narrator turned to face a man who was speaking as they sat at the table. She lowered her eyes, however, when she felt the gaze of a pale-faced woman upon her. Everyone at the table had their heads bowed over their plates. After the third bell, everyone picked up their knives and forks to begin eating. The narrator had the urge to cry but refrained.
Adding insult to injury, the narrator’s friend Judewin informed her of a plan to cut their long, thick hair. The narrator’s mother had taught her that only unskilled warriors captured by the enemy were subjected to hair shingles. In the narrator’s culture, mourners sported short hair and cowards sported shingled hair. The narrator resisted when Judewin informed her that they were required to have haircuts because the school’s administration was powerful. When no one was looking, the narrator escaped the room and entered a room with three beds. She hid beneath the bed. She shuddered whenever she heard footsteps approaching. Everyone was searching for her, including her friend Judewin.
Finally, when she was discovered hiding under the bed, the narrator recalls being dragged out against her fierce opposition. She was carried downstairs and secured to a chair with a rope. She cried until she felt one of her thick braids being cut by the scissors. After that, her spirit diminished. The narrator recalls being subjected to numerous humiliations after being separated from her mother. She wept for her mother as her hair was cut, but no one listened because she resembled one of the many small animals a herder drives.
We Too are Human Beings
Bama recounts her childhood in her native country. She recalls an occurrence that occurred when she was three years old. At that time, people did not openly discuss untouchability. Daily, the narrator would walk home from school. The narrator enjoyed her walk so much that she covered a distance that could have been covered in ten minutes in thirty minutes. On her way home from school, she delighted in observing every small establishment and event. There were stores, street vendors, political rallies, and so forth. The sight of these objects hypnotised the narrator.
The narrator was returning from school as usual one day. As she approached her street, she noticed that a threshing floor had been set up and that the landlord was overseeing the work of his men. The individuals who worked on the threshing floor were members of the narrator’s community. The narrator was enjoying the view of these activities when she noticed a community elder carrying a humorously small package. The man carefully held the package’s strings without touching them. She assumed the package contained vadai or green banana bhajji. She reasoned that the food could fall out of the package if it was carried in that manner. The entire act appeared ridiculous to her. The man approached the landlord and presented him with the package in his cupped hands. The landlord then removed it from the man’s grasp and began consuming the vadais.
