Plum Bun · Question
How does Plum Bun develop the theme of Freedom vs. Restraint?
Answer
Plum Bun by Jessie Redmon Fauset develops Freedom vs. Restraint across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
Angela's intense longing for personal freedom—from poverty, duty, and especially racial restrictions—is pitted against the constraints of family, race, and societal expectations, leading her to seek liberation through passing.
The cyclical structure of going to market and returning home suggests a tension between the freedom to venture out and the restraint of coming back to familiar confines.
Angela perceives whiteness as liberation from the constraints of race, class, and duty, while her mother's actions show that such freedom is limited and comes with emotional costs.
Angela's restlessness in church and her preference for Saturdays hint at her desire for personal freedom, contrasting with Virginia's contentment within the family's structured life.
Evidence in the book
- Epigraph
The cyclical structure of going to market and returning home suggests a tension between the freedom to venture out and the restraint of coming back to familiar confines.
- I
Angela perceives whiteness as liberation from the constraints of race, class, and duty, while her mother's actions show that such freedom is limited and comes with emotional costs.
- II
Angela's restlessness in church and her preference for Saturdays hint at her desire for personal freedom, contrasting with Virginia's contentment within the family's structured life.
- Chapter VI
Angela feels confined by her racial identity and seeks liberation through passing, while Jinny argues for solidarity.
- I
Angela revels in her newfound freedom, contrasting it with her previous life in Philadelphia, and contemplates the limitations of gender and race.
- II
Angela experiences a new sense of freedom in her independent life in the Village, contrasting with the constraints of her past on Opal Street. She wonders what it would be like to conduct oneself absolutely according to one's own laws.
- IV
Angela feels liberated by her ability to 'master life' through passing, yet is restrained by the constant fear of exposure and the guilt of witnessing others' suffering.
- II
Angela struggles between her passionate feelings for Roger and her need to maintain her independence and self-respect, embodying the tension between emotional freedom and social restraint.
