Pioneers, Oh, Pioneers

"Pioneers, Oh, Pioneers", is the focus of this blog, as it had more content than just the introduction to all of the short stories from the class book. "Pioneers, Oh, Pioneers" by Jean Rhys, takes place on the Caribbean island of Dominica and it focuses on the story of Mr. Ramage and his relationship with Isla Harrison. This story shows how it was incredibly unusual at the time for a white person to have a relationship with a person of color. Ramage is constantly tormented by the city people for his relationship. He was seen as insane, and one lady even says, "'He was evidently mad, poor man'". He was seen as an outcast for his relationships, and frankly, seeing people for who they were despite their skin color. This illustrates how prejudiced people were during the time of this story.

    In addition, the story also illustrates how colonialism led places in the Caribbean to deteriorate after the ruling countries withdrew their power. The imperial road is mentioned as the focal point where the plot takes place. It illustrates that the town was part of colonization as the imperial power was in the town and the main road was named after the people in power.

Comments

  1. Kayley NegastSeptember 4, 2020 at 12:40 PM

    Explained the story very well, especially with your quote used! I also touched upon the deterioration of the island and thought it was interesting because the other stories we have read on this topic never talk about the poor maintenance of islands once the colonization took place.

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