Although better known as a poet, Gwendolyn Brooks has one work in prose. Her only novel, Maud Martha, was written in 1953 (Alexander 137). It consists of 17 chapters including “Home,” which was published both as a part of the novel and as a separate short story. The novel as a whole and short story “Home” in particular, provide an insight into the life of American society and reveals an important social issue of class division (Mootry and Smith 254). Being a home-owner is one of the aspects that determine status in the society and, consequently, stimulates people to preserve their status.
The short story “Home” presents a family of four. They are Maud Martha, a teenage girl, her elder sister Helen, their mother, and their father. The action of the story is going on at their home. The girls and their mother are sitting and waiting for their father who was supposed to visit the office of the Home Owner’s Loan to get an extension for their payments. “If he had not succeeded in getting another extension, they would be leaving this house in which they had lived for more than fourteen years” (Brooks 29). The ladies are aware that in case their request is denied, they will have to leave the house.
They are trying to comfort themselves by dreams about a new place they will move to. Mama dreams about “moving to a nice flat somewhere” (Brooks 29). The theme of home is strong in the story. Mama agrees to move to a flat, which is less prestigious than living in a house, but the flat will be in a better neighborhood. The ladies are aware that the father is proud of being a house owner. Martha says, “He lives for this house!” (Brooks 31). It seems that providing a house for his family is his destination. Papa looks proud when he returns home with good news, which is proof of the importance of owning this house for him and his family.
However, a more significant theme of social class is traced in the story as well. Being a house-owner is a sign of certain social standing. Still, Helen admits that her friends do not often come to visit her. “I have friends I’d just as soon not bring here. And I have other friends that wouldn’t come down this far for anything unless they were in a taxi” (Brooks 29). The girl realizes that the place they live in is in a lower-class area. Nevertheless, at the end of the story, Helen decides to give a party because she would like “some of my friends to just casually see that we’re homeowners” (Brooks 32). Thus, owning a house is more than just having a place to live, it is an indicator of status.
To summarize, it should be mentioned that despite its small size, “Home” is a mirror of the epoch when it was created and the people who lived at that time. The significance of belonging to a class and having its necessary indicators is evident and understood by adults and children. Although they could have a better living in a flat, the family prefers to remain home-owners and preserve their vague social status. Thus, it can be concluded that making an impression and pretending to belong to a higher status was one of the values of that time and a purpose of life for some people.
Works Cited
Alexander, Elizabeth. The Essential Gwendolyn Brooks. Literary Classics of the United States, Inc., 2005.
Brooks, Gwendolyn. Maud Martha. The Northern United States. Third World Press, 1992.
Mootry, Maria, and Gary Smith. A Life Distilled: Gwendolyn Brooks, Her Poetry and Fiction. University of Illinois Press, 1989.