MAREBEAR

The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara is a story that tells about a young girl named Sylvia who is experiencing hard times.  Miss Moore tries to help Sylvia and the other children by taking them out into the real world and trying to show them that by being educated, you can become rich.  I agree with this to a certain extent.  I believe that by being educated, there are more opportunities for making money.  There is a clear separation of society and it is known by the characters.  “Must be rich people shop here” recognized Q.T. and others agreed.  Also when Sylvia says “but I feel funny, shame”, she knows that because she is poor, she feels out of place.  The sailboat is a very symbolic object in the story.  It shows the true difference in the views amongst the two societies.  When one would pay fifty cents, the other would pay a thousand dollars.  Amounts of money mean different things to different people.  For example, “thirty-five dollars would pay for the rent and the piano bill to.  Who are these people that spend that much for performing clowns and $1000 for toy sailboats?” asked Sylvia.  I believe that the lesson to the characters is that by being educated, you can become rich, but I believe that the lesson to the readers is that the value of money changes depending on how wealthy you are.