Grandmother’s hands
The title of the book 'My Grandmother's Hands' is symbolic because it represents the sufferings of the black people under the white's supremacy rule. For instance, the author recalls the bruised hands of his grandmother that resulted from plucking cotton at the age of four. Consequently, slavery and mistreatment are symbolized by the author's grandmother's disfigured hands.
Lizard nerves
The author uses the 'lizard nerves' to represent the perception of white people on black people's inferiority. According to the author, racism is deeply rooted in the white people's nervous system, passed from one generation to the other. Therefore, it is hard to convince a white man that a black person has the potential of matching a white man in anything.
The white body
The white body is symbolized by the Americans of European descent, representing the contemporary American. The ideologies of the Europeans who took control of America in the past centuries still control the thinking of modern Americans. The ancient Americans of European descent viewed Africans as properties and tools of labor. The same ideology lives in the white Americans whose actions demonstrate bigotry.
The symbolism of inferiority
The black body symbolizes presumed inferiority in American society. For instance, the whites think that African Americans are only fit to work as enslaved people and nothing else. The author's grandmother started working as an enslaved person at four! The inhumane treatment of blacks in America started many centuries ago. However, it is unfortunate that the vice continues because Africans are still viewed as inferior to whites in every aspect.
