Oscar Mendez            705

The Revolt of the Evil Fairies

In the short story, “The Revolt of the Evil Fairies,” Ted Poston writes, “There was never any doubt about Prince Charming and Sleeping Beauty. They were always light skinned. And though nobody ever discussed those things openly, it was an accepted fact that a lack of pigmentation was a decided advantage in the Prince Charming and Sleeping beauty sweepstakes.” In the story, we witness the influence of racism, the acceptance of identity, and self-acceptance in the face of racism.

In the short story by Ted Poston, “The Revolt of the Evil Fairies” we witness the influence of racism. The text says, “There was never any doubt about Prince Charming and Sleeping Beauty. They were always light skinned. And though nobody ever discussed those things openly, it was an accepted fact that a lack of pigmentation was a decided advantage in the Prince Charming and Sleeping beauty sweepstakes.” This piece of text insinuates that, at the time of segregation, dark skinned people were always given less advantages and fewer open doors, as opposed to lighter skinned folks.

In Ted Poston’s, “The Revolt of the Evil Fairies” we witness the acceptance of Identity. The text says, “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.” This piece of text shows that the narrator had to forcefully accept the fact that he could never get the role he wanted, simply because of the pigmentation of his skin, and it also shows that, even though a dark skinned person had more than the asked qualifications to get what he/she wanted, they could always be rejected purely because of their color.

Ted Poston’s, “The Revolt of the Evil Fairies” we witness self-acceptance in the face of racism. The text says, “I lay down and expired according to specifications, but Prince Charming will probably remember my sneering corpse to his dying day. They wouldn’t let me appear at all in the grand dramatic offering at all next year. But I didn’t care. I couldn’t have been Prince Charming anyway.” This text shows that the narrator couldn’t get the role in the play he hankered for, he had to accept himself and of the limited options and opportunities that are closed due to his skin color and pigmentation.

In the short story, “The Revolt of the Evil Fairies” by Ted Poston allows us to see the influence of racism, by showing us that the influence can affect a lot of opinions and views. We witnessed the problems of Identity, by seeing the narrator not being able to get the role he wanted, because he was dark skinned. We also saw the importance of self-acceptance, as seen when the narrator accepted that he could never get the role he wanted, because of his skin.