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  • Essay / Review of “No Witchcraft for Sale” by Doris Lessing

    No Witchcraft for Sale Analyzed through the postcolonial lens, postcolonialism is prevalent throughout history. The story centers on Gideon, an African of origin, he now lives in Zimbabwe. In the story, the social structure is based on white people and black people are at the bottom, serving the upper classes, mainly people of white origin. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Gideon was raised as a mission boy, that is, someone who grew up in a very religious household and learned and practiced Christianity. He comforts Mrs. Farquar for having a child and claims it is God's will. “Ah, ma’am. Mademoiselle, the lord above has sent this one; the little yellow head is the most beautiful thing we have in our house. (Lessing,1) Since Gideon was raised in a religious mission, he has internalized racist views towards himself and towards people of color. He believes that people of color are born inferior by God's will. And that people of color are created for the sole purpose of being servants and serving the white population. “Ah, madam, they are both children, and one will become a baas, and the other will be a servant”; and Mrs. Farquar smiled and said sadly, “Yes, Gideon, I thought the same thing.” She sighed. “It’s God’s will,” Gideon said. (Lessing, 1) Additionally, in expanding on this quote, the author intentionally slipped grammatical errors into Gideon's dialogue to suggest that he is uneducated. “the best thing we have”. (Lessing, 1) “He slipped into the house and found an orange and brought it to Gideon, saying, “This is for you. » He couldn't bring himself to say he was sorry; but he also couldn't bear to lose Gideon's affections. Gideon reluctantly took the orange and sighed. ” (Lessing, 1) and “Because of this “we,” Mrs. Farquar felt a warm impulse toward her cook; and at the end of the month she increased her salary. (Lessing,1) These quotes push and make the postcolonial lens more prevalent; because white masters don't know how to interact with people of color and treat them differently depending on their mood. It also shows the power held within the white population, who change the wages of their workers at will, without any repercussions. Gideon is an African-born working for an upper-class white family, it can be inferred that the majority of black Africans are low-income at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Also, when Teddy scares Gideon's son with a scooter, Teddy replied "to Gideon, he replied "He's just a black boy" and laughed. This clearly shows the ideology of Eurocentrism, where white people are more superior to people of color; this ideology is recognized at such a young age, meaning the idea of ​​Eurocentrism, classism and racism is propagated by the ruling class, creating prejudice towards children and society as a whole towards people of color . Children and the rest of society implement this ideology into their daily lives, further pushing the status quo that white people are superior to people of color. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized paper from our expert now. writers.Get a custom essayMoreover, this story takes place in Zimbabwe on a farm. From this we can also extrapolate that white people are the ruling class that creates all the.