Pure Brown Babies

Why is it a necessity to follow with what society views as right? Throughout the novel Kari is forced to deal with her prejudice ways because she believes that it is impossible for her to think this way. Kari struggles to keep her mind straight because she is conflicted between what feels right to her and what the people around her think is right. A recurring image she plays in her head is having “pure brown babies”. Davis writes, “I don’t want people waiting and guessing what kind of babies we’ll produce. I look at Steven and I see a good life. I see babies that look like me, babies I can love (Davis 201)”, in these lines Kari finally opens her heart up to tell Jon why she did not really fight for the relationship. Kari knew that it would be impossible for her to really love her mix children if she had stayed with Jon. I knew that Steven was a bigot form the very minute he was introduced in the book, however he grew to despise the very thought of interracial couples, “you lived with him? I told you I would never marry a woman who had slept with a white man. For that matter, why the hell didn’t you tell me that before? (Davis 178)” now the reader gets a sense on how Steven’s mind works because of his races views. Why does he feel this way? Well I think it’s because of the environment he grew up in meaning that he was taught to hate the white race. He feels betrayed by Kari because she wanted to explore the forbidding race. If I were Kari I think I would be just as confused as her because I would feel responsible for leaving the typical African American traditions behind and following my heart. Davis gives the reader an insight on the major problems that interracial couples face meaning that they not only have to wonder about what others think, they have to concentrate on how to maintain the relationship. It looks like that Kari and Jon have a long way to go before they can truly be together for sure. They need to find the attraction that brought them together and look past the color. Jon even asks Kari, “What about your kids? What happens when they grow up and fall in love with someone who happens not to be black? Are you going to disown them as your parents did you? (Davis 207)”. Would she really make her children feel like they had no one to depend on? I hope she does not do that in the future because she knows the pain she went through feeling alone. I really hope that kari does not conform to what the African American society views normal.