In the opening of "The Lesson" by Toni Cade Bambara, the narrator, Sylvia, gives the impression that she is arrogant and stubborn. She does not hesitate to express her contempt towards those who make her doubt her own intelligence. For Sylvia, those people include her cousin Sugar and neighborhood mentor Miss Moore. Besides Miss Moore and Sugar, the wealthy of Fifth Avenue pose a threat to his status. These three characters disturb and completely anger Sylvia. At the beginning of the story, Sylvia is fierce with sarcasm and does not want to receive any input from anyone. Although Sylvia does not admit it, the knowledge and lessons she refused to accept are eventually absorbed and she is transformed. In the end, it's Miss Moore, Sugar, and the rich people she hates who end up having a profound influence on her. The outwardly tenacious Sylvia finds herself with a new and profound perspective on life that ultimately changes her mindset to be better than it was all along. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay When Miss Moore is first introduced, she is described as a very educated and refined person. Sylvia shared her opinion on something Miss Moore had said to her by reaffirming that "we are all poor and live in slums which I do not introduce". It was his way of denying his economic status and refusing to believe what Miss Moore had said. earlier to be true (Bambara 2). Since Miss Moore has a formal education, Sylvia is threatened by the knowledge she holds. Knowing that Sylvia is adamant, Miss Moore put her in charge of paying the taxi driver and determining the tip herself. Having to calculate the tip herself tested Sylvia's ability to do math, which is probably not her strong point. This leaves Sylvia perplexed, without tools to solve the problem and shows her that she is not as smart as she thinks. Once they arrive on Fifth Avenue, Sylvia is forced to notice the extreme prices of toys in the store windows, which confirms what Miss Moore meant about her life in poverty. Sylvia is forced to pay attention and think about the dynamic between the rich and her own family. Sylvia's shattered reality exposes the truth about her status and the fact that her "confidence is dissolving because of the knowledge of money and position" (Marotta 49). The opportunity and experience provided by Miss Moore gave Sylvia the concrete proof she needed to see to believe that she indeed lives in the slums. Miss Moore was able to broaden Sylvia's horizons “…into the world of knowledge and educated perception” (Hargrove 114). Sylvia discovered that there are people in the world who live far beyond her family's means. Sylvia's departure at the end forced her to accept all the truths that had been revealed. Miss Moore showed her a world that was beating her economically, which made Sylvia angry and left her thinking about how to achieve high economic status. At the beginning of the story, Sugar and Sylvia are as thick as thieves. They both live in the same house, the same neighborhood and the same mentality, they are cousins ​​after all. Sugar reaffirms Sylvia's ego and sense of entitlement. Sylvia has no desire to get involved with Miss Moore and wants to jump out of the taxi with Sugar and Miss Moore's money. However, Sugar wants to follow Miss Moore, so Sylvia follows her because she "doesn't like being alone, away from her group of friends, especially Sugar" (Marotta 58). Once arrived. 159-196.