A Visit to Grandmother - Book Summary

A Visit to Grandmother William Melvin Kelley introduces Charles in the story "A Visit to Grandmother," detailing his issues with his family and how he misinterpreted his mother's love for him. The main problem in this text is that he is unaware of his mother's love and concern for him. Since she is aware of what he is doing with his life, she must have faith in him and allow him to pursue his goals. Among the conflicts Charles encountered in the text was moving away from home because he thought his mother wouldn't live with him. Charles struggled with being unhappy after leaving his family and moving to Knoxville, so he made an effort to be content while he studied to further his education. He was upset that his mother was taking care of his brother GL and not him, and that she was always angry with him rather than his brother. He was depressed, lonely, and wept a lot. Take the phrase "Don't you know? Tell me the truth; I won't be harmed. Just once did his voice crack. You would beat me first and then be too fatigued to beat GL if we both did something wrong. He would always get seconds at dinner while I would not. You would go places with him, like ride in the buggy, but you were never free to hang out with me when I asked. When he finally did speak, he hesitated, unsure whether to say, "I cried when I left here." Mama, no one loved me. All the way up to Knoxville, I sobbed. I never cried before in my life, and that was the last time” (116). Because of this conflict and the fact that no one could help him, he became the man he is today. Because he is self-sufficient and no longer requires assistance, he is the man that all boys aspire to be. Because he wants to further his education and because no one in his family enjoyed studying or learning, he prefers to work alone. Charles also struggled with the belief that his mother didn't love him due to his dark skin tone. Because GL had lighter skin and better-looking hair than he did, he thought his mother loved him more than he did. For instance, "Mama, that's not true." You are aware of it. You adored GL because he had fair skin, nice hair, and an almost white appearance (116). He was altered by this problem, forgetting everything negative that had happened in his family and neglecting to take care of his health issues. In order to live a happy life and avoid crying for the rest of his days, he used to ignore and forget his family. Charles struggled with him, telling him that he ought to question his mother about the tale and the reason she only looked after GL and not him. He moved to Knoxville because he felt his mother didn't love him, according to him. As in, "That can't be true." Now his father stood, his fists tightly clenched. "Please admit it, Mom." Surprised to see that the man was truly crying, Chig turned to face him (116). Even before he understood the whole story or the reason his mother didn't give him the same level of attention as she did GL, he began to cry. Charles's personality evolved as a result of learning why his mother neglected him and how much she trusted and loved him. These are crucial ideas to think about because the text teaches us the value of family and the importance of communicating with one another as a large family. The text's lesson is that our family loves us unconditionally and always makes the best decision for us so that we can live happy, fulfilled lives. Parents can love each of their children with the same level of affection and always take care of them. Because kids might think their parents don't love them, parents shouldn't ignore their kids.