All 1 entries tagged White Manager Die

white manager die

What the white manager mean to say […] people nearly die (1.VI.i).

Here Helen is shown not to be conforming to the social expectations of the white tourists: she is rude to them and resistant to the idea of tourism. This links to the fact that Walcott himself was not happy with tourism taking over the island of St Lucia. Helen's voice allows the audience to gain a direct perspective on her outlook of the island and the tourists that visit it. The use of slang, improper English suggests Helen’s refusal to act like the tourists and to adapt to the Westernized way of speaking. The emphasis placed on the 'white manager' suggests her disdain for the domination of the white people on the island. Furthermore, refusing to 'take no shit/from white people' shows she is rejecting the penetration of the tourists and the Westerners on to her island, thus rejecting the colonization of St Lucia. This rejection could be linked to the loss of the characters' sense of home, and additionally Walcott's loss of his sense of home, by being moulded by a culture that is not their own. What comes across in this passage is Helen's voice, albeit not in direct speech, so that Walcott is shown to represent the voice of the colonized people. This passage links to the end of the narrative, when Helen has given in and become a waitress (7.LXIV.ii).

Amanda Hopkins : 23 Jun 2007 12:45 |  Tags: Colonialism Context Helen St Lucia Tourism White Manager Die |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem