Silence And Discourse Of The Men And Women Of Brewster Place

The Women of Brewster Place and The Men of Brewster Place are respectively the first and the latest novel by Gloria Naylor, a prominent African American woman writer. The characters in both novels have different personalities and backgrounds, but they all end up on or at least have connections with Brewster Place. They are walled off from the American mainstream discourse by racism and sexism. Discourse is the product of power and in turn reinforces it, so in the white-dominated patriarchal society where African Americans are deprived of power, they are also robbed of voice and muted. The process to win back their power thus inevitably goes simultaneously with the exploration to regain their voice and produce their own discourse. This thesis tries to trace these people’s struggles for salvation—freeing themselves from traditional norms and silence to the new discourse of power for African Americans.Aside from the Introduction and the Conclusion, this thesis consists of four chapters. Chapter One gives an introduction to the theoretical framework of this thesis, that is, Foucault’s discourse of power theories. Foucault illustrates the relation between discourse and power. Both of power’s repressive and productive qualities function to dominate the underprivileged people through the medium of discourse. The theories are of great value to analyze the power relations in racism and sexism. Chapter Two dissects the silenced discourse of the people of Brewster Place. While the patriarchal discourse confined women to submissive roles, it defines manhood in a way that black men have no access to because of racism. Black women and black men are all forced to silently bear the inequalities and pain. Chapter Three displays the exploration to gain a voice. Violence and plea are futile trials, but sounds like screaming and laughter are breakthroughs. When pain is felt, there is a need to express and expel it, which predicts the seeking for salvation. Chapter Four explores the return of voice and the production of discourse. Through every individual’s endeavor to revolt against traditional discourse, the new discourse for African Americans will come into being.