Brief Summary Of 'Sis' Becky's Pickaniny

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Uncle Julius narrates another conjure tale to John and Annie that a rabbit's foot brings good luck. At that time, Annie suffers from melancholy and feels of foreboding. Julius tells the white couple the story of "Sis' Becky's Pickaninny". It is about a slave woman named Becky who is on Colonel Pen'leton's plantation trades Becky for a racehorse and since the new owner does not want her son, Mose. Mose is very sad because he separates from his mother, so Aunt Nancy takes him to Aunt Peggy. Aunt Peggy turns the boy into a bird. Then, Aunt Peggy is afraid to harm the boy. She decides to conjure Becky into a lame horse. Colonel decides to trade back Becky, and Aunty Peggy returns Becky into human. The next morning, Annie’s health starts to improve because Uncle Julius puts his rabbit's foot among her things. Robert Hemenway states “The literary function of this folklore is almost allegorical. The inside conjure story is again parallel to the frame story: Becky's lack of a rabbit's foot corresponds to Annie's lack of one, and both her melancholy, and Mose's, are similar to the white woman's sadness. The slave owner's lack of belief in conjure corresponds to John's lack of faith in Julius's charm, and the arrogant rationality of their disbelief…show more content…
Chesnutt’s tales show the characteristic of the conjure beliefs in which a person can transform to a tree or animal. This transformation shows the effects of slavery that a person prefers to turn into a thing. The focal point of Chesnutt’s stories is slavery and harsh treatment of slaves. When Uncle Julius narrates his tales, he has different purposes to tell different stories. Sometimes Julius wants to show the white couple that African Americans suffer from slavery for a long time. In other tales, Julius seeks to get a ham, protect his livelihood, or save his

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