"Sweet Potato Pie"
EUGENIA COLLIER
1972
EUGENIA COLLIER
1972
The short story, "Sweet Potato Pie" is about a family's struggle to survive in poverty and how they worked together to make sure that the youngest went to school. It is also the story of brotherly love, respect, and gratitude.
Buddy is the youngest of five children and his parents were sharecroppers in the South. He rarely saw his parents because they worked so much. Charley, the oldest son in the family, and Lil, the oldest daughter, took care of Buddy and the other two children like they were their parents. Charley and Lil basically gave up their childhood to raise their siblings. One day Buddy's dad told him that he wanted Buddy to get an education so he would have a better life than his parents, and probably generations before his parents, had. Charley wanted Buddy to go to school, too. The family scraped by year after year. His siblings tried to go to school but they had to help support the family. Buddy went to school in old, worn out, and frayed clothes. Sometimes he had holes in his clothes. Because of this the other kids teased Buddy. He decided to make sure he was the best in the class academically and enjoyed outperforming the other students. Eventually one of Buddy's sisters left home to look for work in the North. Also, another one of his siblings died. These two events reduced the economic strain on the family. There were fewer mouths to feed and care for. As a result, there was enough money for Buddy to continue his education and go to high school. He graduated the highest in his class and gave the valedictorian speech. The family came back together for his graduation. They brought him whatever money they could afford so he could get a new suit. It was the first new suit Buddy ever owned. His family was very proud of him. Eventually Buddy joined the army so he could get money to attend college when he got out. After he got out of college he went to graduate school, got a job as a professor, married, and had kids. Buddy had a secure and bright future ahead of him. Meanwhile, his brother Charley had not gone to school and scraped by as a taxi driver in New York. He lived in Harlem with his wife and two daughters. His wife worked in a school cafeteria. Buddy went to New York for a conference and decided to surprise Charley with a visit. Harlem was run down and poor. Even so, Buddy felt comfortable there. It made him feel at home. Charley and his family were happy to see Buddy. Charley's wife made dinner for everyone and sweet potato pie for dessert, which was Buddy's favorite. Charley always said that Buddy was someone giving the feeling that Charley was nobody. In the end Charley drove Buddy back to his hotel and carried the left over sweet potato pie into the fancy hotel for Buddy.
Buddy is the youngest of five children and his parents were sharecroppers in the South. He rarely saw his parents because they worked so much. Charley, the oldest son in the family, and Lil, the oldest daughter, took care of Buddy and the other two children like they were their parents. Charley and Lil basically gave up their childhood to raise their siblings. One day Buddy's dad told him that he wanted Buddy to get an education so he would have a better life than his parents, and probably generations before his parents, had. Charley wanted Buddy to go to school, too. The family scraped by year after year. His siblings tried to go to school but they had to help support the family. Buddy went to school in old, worn out, and frayed clothes. Sometimes he had holes in his clothes. Because of this the other kids teased Buddy. He decided to make sure he was the best in the class academically and enjoyed outperforming the other students. Eventually one of Buddy's sisters left home to look for work in the North. Also, another one of his siblings died. These two events reduced the economic strain on the family. There were fewer mouths to feed and care for. As a result, there was enough money for Buddy to continue his education and go to high school. He graduated the highest in his class and gave the valedictorian speech. The family came back together for his graduation. They brought him whatever money they could afford so he could get a new suit. It was the first new suit Buddy ever owned. His family was very proud of him. Eventually Buddy joined the army so he could get money to attend college when he got out. After he got out of college he went to graduate school, got a job as a professor, married, and had kids. Buddy had a secure and bright future ahead of him. Meanwhile, his brother Charley had not gone to school and scraped by as a taxi driver in New York. He lived in Harlem with his wife and two daughters. His wife worked in a school cafeteria. Buddy went to New York for a conference and decided to surprise Charley with a visit. Harlem was run down and poor. Even so, Buddy felt comfortable there. It made him feel at home. Charley and his family were happy to see Buddy. Charley's wife made dinner for everyone and sweet potato pie for dessert, which was Buddy's favorite. Charley always said that Buddy was someone giving the feeling that Charley was nobody. In the end Charley drove Buddy back to his hotel and carried the left over sweet potato pie into the fancy hotel for Buddy.
Social Class in "Sweet Potato Pie"
"Sweet Potato Pie" is an excellent example of the differences in social classes. The main character, Buddy, is the youngest of five children in a very poor family. The parents in the family work all the time just to scrape by so Buddy is raised by his oldest brother, Charley.
This family situation would not be seen in a family of a higher social class. The parents in a higher social class don't have to work day and night to just get by in life. Children in a higher social class take education for granted, but Buddy doesn't. He knows he was lucky and that his brother sacrificed his future for Buddy. Buddy gets through school and joins the army so he could go to college. The higher class wouldn't have to do that. He gets a job as a professor, and gets married. He is better off than his parents and siblings. He has become a success and a part of the higher social class. Buddy has lived in both worlds; first as a poor sharecropper's child with nothing; then as an educated, well employed, successful professor. Charley is proud of Buddy and thinks of him as belonging to the upper class. Charley feels he is a nobody. Charley tells Buddy he had one of his students in his taxi. He didn't tell the student he was Buddy's brother. Charley said, "Your brother—I didn’t tell him I was your brother. I said you was a old friend of mine." (Collier, 5). Buddy asks why. Charley replies, "I didn’t want your students to know your brother wasn’t nothing but a cab driver. You somebody." (Collier, 5). When Buddy goes to Harlem to visit Charley and his family, he didn't tell them he was coming. He knew Charley would make a big deal out of it and spend a lot of time getting his home ready. Charley says, "Lord, Buddy, what you doing here? Whyn’t you tell me you was coming to New York?" (Collier, 4). Charlie's wife, Bea, is somewhat embarrassed and upset by how her home looks. She asks Buddy, "The place look a mess! Whyn’t you let us know?" (Collier, 4). Charley and Bea are very happy to see Buddy. However, they are worried how their home looks to Buddy because he is now "somebody." This shows that Bea shares Charley's belief that Buddy is somebody. Being in Harlem reminds Buddy of his past. He likes how it feels to be there. The story notes, "Whenever I come to Harlem I feel somehow as if I were coming home—to some mythic ancestral home." (Collier, 3). Buddy thinks, "We all sat in the warm kitchen, where Bea was preparing dinner. It felt good there. Beautiful odors mingled in the air." (Collier, 4). He also thinks, "It was good to sit there in Charley’s kitchen, my coat and tie flung over a chair, surrounded by soul food and love." (Collier, 5). It isn't the food he misses, it's the feeling of love and home. The food is a symbol of the past. Even though Buddy has the means to live in a nice home he still feels his roots are back in the poor home he grew up in. It is his history, he feels his spirit is alive, and he is very comfortable in the world of the so called lower class. Buddy narrates, "... my spirit was still hungry for sweet potato pie." (Collier, 5).
Charley believes that possessions and how someone looks prove a person's social class. He would not let Buddy carry a brown paper bag into a fancy hotel because, "Folks in that hotel don’t go through the lobby carrying no brown paper bags. That’s country. And you can’t neither. You somebody, Buddy. You got to be right. Now, gimme that bag." (Collier, 6). Charley continues, "You got to look right, Buddy. Can’t nobody look dignified carrying a brown paper bag." (Collier, 6). Charley sees the bag as a symbol of a humble life. Buddy can't carry it because, to Charley, Buddy left the humble life. Then, in another act of sacrifice, Charley walks behind Buddy through the lobby with the bag. Proudly carrying it for his brother, who is somebody. Charley doesn't realize that, to Buddy, Charley is somebody.
This family situation would not be seen in a family of a higher social class. The parents in a higher social class don't have to work day and night to just get by in life. Children in a higher social class take education for granted, but Buddy doesn't. He knows he was lucky and that his brother sacrificed his future for Buddy. Buddy gets through school and joins the army so he could go to college. The higher class wouldn't have to do that. He gets a job as a professor, and gets married. He is better off than his parents and siblings. He has become a success and a part of the higher social class. Buddy has lived in both worlds; first as a poor sharecropper's child with nothing; then as an educated, well employed, successful professor. Charley is proud of Buddy and thinks of him as belonging to the upper class. Charley feels he is a nobody. Charley tells Buddy he had one of his students in his taxi. He didn't tell the student he was Buddy's brother. Charley said, "Your brother—I didn’t tell him I was your brother. I said you was a old friend of mine." (Collier, 5). Buddy asks why. Charley replies, "I didn’t want your students to know your brother wasn’t nothing but a cab driver. You somebody." (Collier, 5). When Buddy goes to Harlem to visit Charley and his family, he didn't tell them he was coming. He knew Charley would make a big deal out of it and spend a lot of time getting his home ready. Charley says, "Lord, Buddy, what you doing here? Whyn’t you tell me you was coming to New York?" (Collier, 4). Charlie's wife, Bea, is somewhat embarrassed and upset by how her home looks. She asks Buddy, "The place look a mess! Whyn’t you let us know?" (Collier, 4). Charley and Bea are very happy to see Buddy. However, they are worried how their home looks to Buddy because he is now "somebody." This shows that Bea shares Charley's belief that Buddy is somebody. Being in Harlem reminds Buddy of his past. He likes how it feels to be there. The story notes, "Whenever I come to Harlem I feel somehow as if I were coming home—to some mythic ancestral home." (Collier, 3). Buddy thinks, "We all sat in the warm kitchen, where Bea was preparing dinner. It felt good there. Beautiful odors mingled in the air." (Collier, 4). He also thinks, "It was good to sit there in Charley’s kitchen, my coat and tie flung over a chair, surrounded by soul food and love." (Collier, 5). It isn't the food he misses, it's the feeling of love and home. The food is a symbol of the past. Even though Buddy has the means to live in a nice home he still feels his roots are back in the poor home he grew up in. It is his history, he feels his spirit is alive, and he is very comfortable in the world of the so called lower class. Buddy narrates, "... my spirit was still hungry for sweet potato pie." (Collier, 5).
Charley believes that possessions and how someone looks prove a person's social class. He would not let Buddy carry a brown paper bag into a fancy hotel because, "Folks in that hotel don’t go through the lobby carrying no brown paper bags. That’s country. And you can’t neither. You somebody, Buddy. You got to be right. Now, gimme that bag." (Collier, 6). Charley continues, "You got to look right, Buddy. Can’t nobody look dignified carrying a brown paper bag." (Collier, 6). Charley sees the bag as a symbol of a humble life. Buddy can't carry it because, to Charley, Buddy left the humble life. Then, in another act of sacrifice, Charley walks behind Buddy through the lobby with the bag. Proudly carrying it for his brother, who is somebody. Charley doesn't realize that, to Buddy, Charley is somebody.
Eugenia Collier
Eugenia Collier was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1928. She came from a well educated family. Her mother was a teacher and her father was a doctor. Eugenia followed in her parent's footsteps. She graduated magna cum laude from Howard University in 1948. Eugenia went to Columbia University and received a Master of Arts degree in 1950. From there she attended the University of Maryland and earned her Ph. D. in 1976. Starting in 1955, Eugenia taught at many colleges and universities. They included: the University of Maryland, Howard University, Baltimore Community College, Southern Illinois University, and Atlanta University. Eugenia was also the English Chairwoman at Morgan State University. It is obvious Ms. Collier knew how important it is to obtain an education no matter how old a person is. She obtained her Ph. D. when she was forty-eight years old. The fact that Eugenia worked so hard, studied, and taught at the University of Maryland while obtaining her doctorate shows her dedication to obtaining a good education.
In "Sweet Potato Pie" the desire for an education that inspired Ms. Collier is shown in her representation of the character Buddy. He enjoyed doing well in school and appreciated the sacrifices his family made to ensure he could attend school. Buddy even graduated as valedictorian of his high school class. This could symbolize Ms. Collier graduating magna cum laude from Howard University. The difference is that Eugenia's parents were also very educated while Buddy's parents were not. This fact makes it even more important and extraordinary that Buddy achieved the success that he did. Ms. Collier might have wanted to show the beginning of the new cycle of education and the promise that it holds in contrast to the continuing cycle of poverty and a lack of education. Maybe her grandparents, or great grandparents, were not able to go to school and the cycle of poverty was broken shortly before Eugenia was born.
In addition to attending many schools, Ms. Collier worked as a caseworker with the Baltimore Department of Public Welfare. She had this position for five years from 1950 until 1955. Her position with the Baltimore Department of Public Welfare gave her insight into the world of people living in poverty and just scraping by day to day. Ms. Collier was able to see both sides of society, the higher social class she grew up in and the lower class existence of the people that needed her help at the Baltimore Department of Public Welfare. She understood how much an education would probably have helped lift some of the citizens she worked with out of a life of poverty.
Eugenia Collier has written a number of short stories, books and essays. Her work has been published in the Negro Digest, Black World, College Language Association Journal and The New York Times. Some of the organizations Ms. Collier belonged to include: the College Language Association, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, the Middle Atlantic Writers Association and the African American Writers Guild. In interviews, Eugenia Collier has said that she gets her creative ideas from "the richness, diversity, and beauty of my black heritage." (Classzone.com, 4-30-14).
http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/eugenia-collier - Picture
In "Sweet Potato Pie" the desire for an education that inspired Ms. Collier is shown in her representation of the character Buddy. He enjoyed doing well in school and appreciated the sacrifices his family made to ensure he could attend school. Buddy even graduated as valedictorian of his high school class. This could symbolize Ms. Collier graduating magna cum laude from Howard University. The difference is that Eugenia's parents were also very educated while Buddy's parents were not. This fact makes it even more important and extraordinary that Buddy achieved the success that he did. Ms. Collier might have wanted to show the beginning of the new cycle of education and the promise that it holds in contrast to the continuing cycle of poverty and a lack of education. Maybe her grandparents, or great grandparents, were not able to go to school and the cycle of poverty was broken shortly before Eugenia was born.
In addition to attending many schools, Ms. Collier worked as a caseworker with the Baltimore Department of Public Welfare. She had this position for five years from 1950 until 1955. Her position with the Baltimore Department of Public Welfare gave her insight into the world of people living in poverty and just scraping by day to day. Ms. Collier was able to see both sides of society, the higher social class she grew up in and the lower class existence of the people that needed her help at the Baltimore Department of Public Welfare. She understood how much an education would probably have helped lift some of the citizens she worked with out of a life of poverty.
Eugenia Collier has written a number of short stories, books and essays. Her work has been published in the Negro Digest, Black World, College Language Association Journal and The New York Times. Some of the organizations Ms. Collier belonged to include: the College Language Association, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, the Middle Atlantic Writers Association and the African American Writers Guild. In interviews, Eugenia Collier has said that she gets her creative ideas from "the richness, diversity, and beauty of my black heritage." (Classzone.com, 4-30-14).
http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/eugenia-collier - Picture