Women Are Powerful.
Since her encounter with the former President Cleveland, Louisa struggles with intimacy and self-acceptance. On occasion, she sees unpleasant flashbacks to the night she bore Grace. Louisa’s independence and ability to manipulate others is displayed throughout the novel, and she decides she needs to confront Mr. Cleveland to redeem herself. After seeing the old, frail man, she decided she is better off forgetting about him because since that night, she gained her position as principal of Macaulay, helped raise her daughter, and protected Tom and his power plant.
|
All People Are Equal.
Racism was prevalant in the late 19th century. On many occasions, Negro men would be killed on the street by white men, and no one would help them. The only way to stay in power is to suppress people who are weak. This mindset caused most white men to either heckle African Americans or ignore them completely. In City of Light, Belfer shows both equality and inequality: Millicent, a black girl, attends Macaulay. Although many parents worry about their child going to school with a Negro, Louisa wants her to become educated. She hopes that Millicent will one day fight for her rights as an African American women, like Mrs. Talbert. She protested against the Pan-American exhibit because the white men who organized it refused to display any black people important to history. Instead, the exhibit only showed slavery.
|