Brownies, by ZZ Packer Essay - 1209 Words

In the short story â€Å"Brownies,† author ZZ Packer uses the narrator, Laurel, to explore the tensions that exist between belonging to a community and maintaining individuality. While away at camp with her brownie troop, she finds herself torn between achieving group inclusion and sustaining her own individualism. Although the events of the short story occur at Camp Crescendo, Packer is able to expand (and parallel) this struggle for identity beyond the camp’s walls and into the racially segregated society that both the girls and their families come from. Packer is exploring how an individual’s inherent need for group inclusion consequently fuels segregation and prejudice against those outside the group across various social and societal†¦show more content†¦Although her shared race inherently secures her place in the group, she actively seeks further acceptance and affirmation from the other girls. Her longing for community results in her continued inv olvement with the group, as being outside the group implies an undesired sense of isolation. Laurel continuously strives to be a part of the community, even though she does not like its members and compares their caliber of friendship to being â€Å"bunched-up wads of tinfoil†¦or rusty iron nails you had to get tetanus for† instead of precious metals (190). The need to identify as part of the group causes her to passively dismiss not only the blatant rudeness towards her and other members but also their obvious character flaws. Yet it is in this respect that her less aggressive and kind temperament distinguishes her from the rest of the group, indirectly disrupting its cohesion. Although she realizes that â€Å"quiet people like [herself] were better off quiet alone,† the fear of being excluded will lead her to comply with group actions and thoughts that would likely not occur if she were acting as an individual (187). Laurel and her troops’ continued racial exclusion and perceived marginalization is another major driving force behind the group’s solidarity. Unlike most of the other girls, Laurel does not seem to have an inherent or genuine prejudice toward white people. Her limited exposure and lack of integration with this groupShow MoreRelated`` Brownies `` By Zz Packer936 Words   |  4 PagesIn the short story â€Å"Brownies† by ZZ Packer there are a few different settings throughout the story. The use of multiple settings serve as a purpose to establish the mood of the story, and give the reader better insight to the characters and the theme of â€Å"Brownies,† racism. 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It surrounds a group of African American Brownie girls in the fourth grade who journey to a campsite situated near the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia, called Camp Crescendo. On the trip, they encounter another brownie group comprised of white girls, all of who are mentally handicapped. â€Å"Brownies† is told from a first person involved point of view, through a Brownie member from the African American troop, named Laurel. Because the story takes