Drenched in Light

The third-person point of view only provides insight into Isis’s perspective, so the reader has limited knowledge of other characters’ thoughts. Grandma Potts is described as having a “straggling beard” on her chin that “curled here and there against the dark brown skin” (48). From this image, the narrator illustrates an unappealing image of the old woman, which reflects how Isis views her grandmother. Their relationship exists in such tension that Grandma Potts’s outward appearance unsettles Isis and causes her to pity her.

Grandma Potts presents herself as a strict, elderly woman who has high expectations for Isis. She serves as a foil for Isis’s joyous, energetic behavior, and the narrator portrays her as rigid and intentional in how she goes about her daily life. She sticks to a routine that is confined to her home. Grandma Potts not only stays within these boundaries, but she also does not view the white shell road as full of potential possibilities as Isis does.

Since the narrator tells this story through Isis’s limited perspective as a child, Grandma Potts appears to be unfair regarding how she expects Isis to behave. She believes in adhering to stereotypical gender roles and that children must respect their elders and do as they are told, which stems from the socially acceptable gender stereotypes during this time. Throughout the story, she fights with Isis and constantly threatens to whip her. She does not allow Isis to act like a child and expects her to maintain the house. If Isis is not doing chores, she expects her to sit quietly, which does not seem to be the expectation for Joel, Isis’s brother.

Helen maintains a lighthearted disposition similar to Isis and opposite to Grandma Potts, which paints Helen as a different type of maternal figure for Isis. Helen is characterized through her different dialect, which is more proper, and by her and her friends’ car; these factors indicate that she is wealthier than the Potts family. By paying for the tablecloth as a way to take Isis with her, Helen employs her higher social and economic status to ensure she receives what she wants. Although this can appear exploitative, Helen also seems to enjoy Isis for who she is. She provides Isis with “a voluntary act of love” by squeezing her hand in support and allowing her to experience life outside of the boundaries of her home. Helen’s character provides an opportunity for Isis, aligning her with the white shell road’s promise.

Similar to Isis, Helen’s name reflects a mythological figure, Helen of Troy. Known to be the most beautiful woman in Troy, whose beauty caused the Trojan War, Hurston’s Helen encapsulates a similar enthrallment for Isis. Hurston quickly illustrates Helen and the two men she arrives with at the carnival, as “suppressing mirth discreetly behind gloved hands,” implying that they are looking at the scene of Isis dancing in amusement (51). Immediately, Helen and Isis are drawn together. However, the reader knows very little of Helen and her intentions. By maintaining a close perspective on Isis, the narrator only provides insight into Helen through how Isis takes in the scene. From her actions, Helen appears to gravitate toward the young girl because she “is joy itself” and claims to “like her as she is” (54). While these are all pleasant sentiments, Helen’s language also implies that her interest in Isis is self-absorbed and not as benevolent as it seems.