Question

Mrs. Turner, like all other believers had built an altar to the unattainable—Caucasian characteristics for all. Her god would smite her, would hurl her from pinnacles and lose her in deserts, but she would not forsake his altars. Behind her crude words was a belief that somehow she and others through worship could attain her paradise—a heaven of straighthaired, thin-lipped, high-nose boned white seraphs.

How does Zora Neale Hurston use Mrs. Turner to present a cultural criticism?



She mocks Mrs. Turner’s strict religious practices.

She critiques Mrs. Turner’s obsession with material wealth.

She mocks Mrs. Turner’s belief that everyone should look alike.

She critiques Mrs. Turner’s use of profane language.

Answer 1

She mocks Mrs. Turner’s belief that everyone should look alike.

Answer 2

Answer: She mocks Mrs. Turner’s belief that everyone should look alike.

Mrs. Turner is a particularly interesting character in the novel, as she is a racist against her own race. She believes the ideal to be Caucasian (white), and makes little of people with strong Black features. In the passage, Hurston is not only criticizing Mrs. Turner's desire for everyone to be equal. She is criticizing her obsession with "whiteness" and her belief that "her paradise" was one in which everyone was Caucasian.