"Like a Winding Sheet" is a short story by African American writer Ann Petry, first published in 1945. The story follows the character of John Jones, a factory worker who is struggling to make ends meet in a racist and oppressive society.
At the beginning of the story, John is exhausted and overwhelmed by the demands of his job and his responsibilities at home. He is married to a woman named Mae, and the two of them have two young children. Despite his best efforts, John can barely afford to provide for his family, and he is constantly worried about how he will make ends meet.
One day, John's boss at the factory asks him to stay late to finish a project. John agrees, even though he knows it will mean even less time with his family. As he works, John begins to feel more and more resentful of his boss and the unfair conditions of his job. He feels like he is being taken advantage of, and he starts to wonder if he will ever be able to escape the cycle of poverty and oppression that he is trapped in.
As the night wears on, John's feelings of anger and frustration continue to grow. He becomes more and more agitated, until he finally snaps and lashes out at his boss. In a fit of rage, John attacks his boss and smashes a window, causing significant damage to the factory.
The next morning, John is arrested and charged with vandalism. As he sits in jail, he realizes that he has made a terrible mistake and that his actions have only made his situation worse. He knows that he will likely lose his job and be unable to provide for his family, and he feels like he has let everyone down.
In the end, John is left feeling alone and hopeless, wrapped in a "winding sheet" of despair and regret. The story serves as a powerful commentary on the struggles of working-class people in a society that is stacked against them, and the ways in which racism and oppression can create a cycle of poverty and despair.
Like a Winding Sheet Analysis
Impacted by her Harlem experiences, Ann Petry used her creative writing skills to bring this experience to paper. Additionally, racism ordeals in society destroy the initial personal relationships. Reflectively, Johnson loves his wife and fantasizes about playing, cooking, and listening to the radio with her once he arrives at home Petry 1501. His sweet wife, Mae, has an evening job too but she takes it in better spirits. He considered women weaker and unable to fight back.
Like a Winding Sheet by Ann Petry Plot Summary
But her use of the same racial slur triggers his anger, suggesting that racism can turn even caring, private relationships between people of color into traumatic experiences. As Johnson's character develops throughout this short story, some key events push him to his limit and cause him to lose control. However, Johnson interpreted the gesture as inspired by racism. If he had looked back, however, he would have seen the waitress turning away the other people waiting in line for coffee and tossing her hair again as she started to make a fresh batch. It's as though the racist attacks to which he's been subjected have wrapped him in a "winding sheet," trying to kill his humanity and kindness.
"Like a Winding Sheet" by Petry Ann
This story took place in 1946 in the time when all the men would be at war and the women would be in factories making all the weapons and equipments that they would need. Johnson collects his pay slip and leaves. Some organizations have realized the importance of work-based counseling to reduce the possibilities of transferring work-based stresses to families. On ordinary occasions, as presented in the short story, Johnson and his wife, Mae, would catch a few hours of sleeping after getting home from work. Ann Petry and the Art of Subversion. Despite the girl telling Johnson the truth, he perceives it to be an act of racism, hence leading to conflict with the lady. As soon as he is at the coffee urn to receive a cup of coffee the white waitress says, "No more coffee for awhile.
Like a Winding Sheet Summary & Analysis
Contemporary society has not solved the issues of inequality in job placements and promotions. Although most of the blacks tried to forget the atrocities, slight provocations elicited violence and quests for vengeance. Although the novel is set in the immediate aftermath of World War II, Petry identified the 1938 New England huricane as the source for the storm that is at the center of her narrative. At this time you explode and you snap at the police officer. It is about reality, which is often harsh. The coffee urn is a large container for preparing and holding coffee A winding-sheet is a piece of cloth that is used to wrap a corpse in preparation for burial Works Cited Mayhew, Claire, and Duncan Chappell. Born into a middle-class African American family in a predominantly white community, Petry developed into one of the foremost female writers on the subject of race in mid-twentieth century America.
