Revolt of the Evil Fairies

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Margo Johnston 705                                                                         November 9, 2012

Revolt of the Evil Fairies Essay

“Revolt of the Evil Fairies” tells the a story of a young boy that tries his very hardest to get the lead role in the school play. Unfortunately, he fails. Not because he was bad, but because he was black. However, through out it all, in the face of terrible adversity, both before and after he didn’t get the part, he was always determined.

Even though the protagonist tried his very hardest, his effort never paid off. The main character would have done anything, but he knew he was “doomed from the start” because of how segregated and racist society was in the 1940’s even within an all black school.  What society was in the south back then was completely different then what it is now, because good people like him couldn't do what they wanted. The protagonist mentioned, “I made the best grades in my class, I was the leading debater, and the scion of a respected family in the community, but I could never be Prince Charming because I was black.” Even if he was a perfect example for a good Prince Charming, he could never reach his goal.

The protagonist never changed his goal on the inside, but would still do anything on the outside if it helped him get the part. It was almost as if his determination was blinding him from what he was doing. For example, the author mentioned, “Yes, and I purloined my sister’s can of Palmers Skin Success.” Even if he did try to change his identity, it just showed how much he was determined to get that part, and stand up for what he believed in. And even though he still didn’t get the part, after doing EVERYTHING he could, he still kept working.

Even though the protagonists ended up not getting the part, he still tried his very hardest in what he was doing. Just as he secretly predicted, once again he was stuck with the head of the evil fairy role, but in some ways that make him even more determined. It was as if the story had grown larger than just getting the role. He says, “I threw my soul into the part and made the Head Evil Fairy a character to be remembered.” He wanted to show the teachers and the school that they had made a bad choice by not choosing him. And even though he was disappointed about his part, he wasn’t going to let Leonardis mess up the play by hitting him. After the fight he realized that he doesn’t need to change himself or try to act different to be in the play. He might not have solved the problem in the best way but he stood up for himself. And despite the fact they had to bring the curtain down, he still did the right thing and finished.

In conclusion, the story starts out as with a little dark skinned black boy hating trouble with discrimination. It doesn’t end that way, though. By the end of the short story, the author has shown what it was like for the protagonist and what he did to “revolt” against the adversity. He realizes its okay if he is not light skinned and perfect like Prince Charming, according to his old fashioned teachers. And he shows the power of determination.