Color in Fiction

Earlier, I had read the classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and had been bowled over by its clarity and directness in depicting racism. And now I am reading a more recent novel, The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd, and it is still a de ja vu when it comes to the question of color.

The interface with color is a theme that tends to transcend color and rise to a human emotional level. There is understanding and empathy. The parallel in both the books is unmistakeable. And the overarching feeling while reading them is the power of the author, who describes scenes with such humanity that one can't but get into the skin of the characters, and once and for all forget about various prejudices that still invade so many relationships.

With their pointed focus on individual stories, the authors of both these books with their different story lines through their eyes, have laid open the idea of a world that is close to the ideal. They have written at a time when the ideal was too far away, and their work was a step towards it.

This is the way, through individual effort, the world changes. It is a slow process, but for changes to take place, these efforts are invaluable.