Essay Questions

Expound Matilda’s childhood philosophy of whiteness.

Matilda recounts, “We had grown up believing white to be the color of all the important things, like ice cream, aspirin, ribbon, the moon, the stars. White starts and a full moon were more important when my grandfather grew up than they are now that we have generators.” Manifestly, Matilda espoused the ideology of white supremacy. For Matilda, white is an embodiment of all grander things which ought to be esteemed by all humans. Essentially, Matilda is not absolutely color-blind for she can discriminate the white things from non-white.

Deconstruct Dolores’s request in regard to Mr. Dickens.

Dolores requests, “This Mr Dickens, Matilda, if you get the chance why don’t you ask him to fix our generator.” Matilda adds, “Every other kid turned up to school with similar instructions. They were to ask Mr. Dickens for anti-malaria tablets, aspirin, generator fuel, beer, kerosene, wax candles. We sat at our desks with our shopping lists and waited for Mr Watts to introduce Mr. Dickens.” The appeals which the parents make are founded on the notion that whites are the redeemers with competency to resolve other races’ difficulties. The name ‘ Dickens’ bids connotations of Whiteness. Perchance, if the name were associated with non-whites, the parents would not have prepared any shopping lists for him. Consequently, the parents covertly program their children to ascribe superiority to whites.

Explicate the implication of Dickens’ Great Expectations.

Mr. Watts informs the children, “That was chapter one of Great Expectations, which, incidentally, is the greatest novel by the greatest English writer on the nineteenth century. Charles Dickens…When you read the work of a great writer…you are making the acquaintance of that person.” Although Dickens is not substantially present in the classroom, the children intermingle with him through his text which personifies him. Readings of Dicken’s work is psychologically significant (Sublimation) which diverts the children’s responsiveness from the war.