What is the importance of family in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry? Essay

What is the importance of family in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry? The novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, is set in Mississippi, in the Deep South of America, in the 1930's and covers a year in the life of the Logan family. The Logans are a respectable black family closely bound in love, respect, and support for each other. The story is told through the young eyes of Cassie Logan and through her experiences we see the great importance of family throughout the novel. Family plays one of the most important themes of the story and it seems as though the author, Mildred Taylor created the Logan family to present them as a role model family for life. Throughout the novel, the guiding role of parents is clearly shown by Mama and Papa Logan. They teach their four children by example at several points in the story. One of these times is when Mama covers the offensive pages in the books at school. The other teachers regard mama as something of a maverick because of her liberal views. When told that her children have, "got to learn how things are", she replies that they will, but they don't necessarily, "have to accept them". She glues paper over the offensive pages, despite what others think, and therefore shows Cassie and Little Man the way to behave when an incident like this occurs. Mama and Papa use firm discipline with their children throughout the story. This is shown when Papa whips the children for going to the forbidden Wallace Store, and when Mama whips Stacey for cheating in the test. Mama and Papa use this punishment to discipline their children, and, as a result, they learn their lesson. After the children are punished for going to the store they never go there again, proving that their parents ... ...ence of his grandmother is made clear. Mr Jamison says that, "Harlan's always lived in the past", and goes on to say that, "his grandmother filled him with all kinds of tales about the glory of the south before the war." This explains why Harlan Granger has such cold southern values; he learned it from his grandmother. This is yet another example of the powerful influence parents and elders have on their children from one generation to the next. Mr Jamison and his wife are a rare positive image of a white family, discussing and agreeing on all important issues that affect them. They, as a family represent a hope for a more tolerant society in the future. Mr Jamison shares the same respect for his family that the Logan family shares. He tells Papa that he and his wife talked about backing the loan in Vicksburg and, "discussed it fully", with each other.