Thinking Twice

In my English class this semester, we're reading the novel The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. This book is about a freed slave girl's struggle after the Civil War ended. It describes her journey, and although it was not actually written by the girl, the author puts you in her shoes extremely well. The book conveys many stereotypes associated with the black community during the Civil War period. Some examples are that they were stupid, slow, lazy, and vengeful. In The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Jane, the main character, disproves many of these stereotypes. She is cunning; she avoids the Secesh, the southern army, many times. She never gives up, even when she's physically exhausted. She is also the exact opposite of lazy. She basically mothers a young boy, Ned, and helps him make the journey to freedom. Together, they walk miles and miles daily. She respects whites when they earn her respect. She is feisty, but knows her limits. Jane is a perfect example of someone who makes people think twice about their quick judgement.