“Silver Sparrow,” by Tayari Jones, is a story told in the first person by Dana, the narrator, who tells a story from her childhood as she looks back as an adult. It is set in Atlanta, Georgia, in the 21st century, although no specific dates are known. Dana's childhood and family life are quite rare; his father is a bigamist. Even at a young age, Dana had some understanding of bigamy. Throughout the story, Dana discusses the jealousy she feels for Chaurisse, her sister from her father's legitimate marriage, even though Dana was born months earlier. Jones describes crucial interactions between Dana and her parents as they discuss the situation their family experienced. The climax of the story occurs when Dana discovers that she is part of her father's secret family. Learning this causes Dana to become more jealous of her sister. However, the turning point in the story comes when Dana discovers why she shouldn't be jealous of her sister. Gwendolyn, Dana's mother, accompanies Dana to see Chaurisse and explains that Chaurisse "...was born too early so she has problems" (Jones 983). Gwendolyn tells Dana that Charuisse has no idea that she has another sister and that they, Gwendolyn and Dana, are the only two people who know the truth about the situation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay This short story is composed of several layers of traits that make it a work of Southern fiction. “Silver Sparrow” weaves the Southern setting into the piece, focuses the story on relationships within a family, touching on race and religion. The story has a twist within the plot that changes someone's feelings about the story. This turning point is extremely important because it makes “Silver Sparrow” an exemplary work of recent Southern fiction; the greatest significance of this story comes from the twist that Tayari Jones introduces at the end of the story. This article will examine how different characteristics of Southern fiction are present in Jones' story. The role of setting descriptions, attention to family relationships, and the presence of race and religion within the work will be discussed. Next, this article will discuss the significance “Silver Sparrow” has as a work of Southern fiction. Southern fiction often describes the Southern setting through vivid images of flora and fauna, of farms and rolling hills, and of animals with which the characters interacted. Jones places readers in Atlanta, Georgia, in “Silver Sparrow” in a different way. Because this story is set in the modern South, it contains no descriptions of landscapes, farms, or dirt roads. The use of landmarks and street names shows the modern twist Jones put on Southern fiction. Faulkner in Light in August and As I Lay Dying vividly describes the rural landscapes his characters live in and encounter on their travels, and Faulkner and Hogan depict animals in their works to add to the setting of their novels. Jones doesn't. Instead, Jones uses modern markers of setting to show the changes occurring within the genre of Southern fiction. The “West End” neighborhood is used to describe an area of ​​Atlanta where “a sect of the Back to Africa movement [was] based” (979). The narrator, Dana, introduces several locations throughout the story: the store where the his parents met ("Davidson's downtown") (979), the street his mother turns off of ("Gordon Road"), and the park across the street from Chaurisse's school ”) (983). Although they do not necessarily add anything to the plot of thehistory, increase the sense of authenticity of this work. However, the theme of small-town Southern gossip is present in the story. Dana states, "if you spend time in beauty salons, you will hear stories of new widows surprised at the funeral by the other grieving widow and her five children" (979).Beauty salons and barbershops are contemporary staples of southern community. They are places where people gather and can gossip among their peers. However, James, Dana's father, doesn't like the gossip happening in Atlanta. James says, “Atlanta is just a country town and everyone knows everyone. You must learn to be silent” (982). James fears that Dana's comments about Chaurisse and James' other wife will spread throughout the city. Like “The House of Usher” and As I Lay Dying, “Silver Sparrow” focuses on relationships within a family. Dana describes her family dynamics, as she understood them as a child: “In my mind, Chaurisse was her real daughter. I was just the outside child. With wives, only who got there first mattered. With daughters the situation was a little more complex” (979). This “structured” relationship between Dana, her father, and her two families is explored in this story. Through Dana's narration, we learn about each character and the family's past. This first-person narration is similar to the narration in As I Lay Dying but we only get the opinions of one character instead of numerous. Dana describes her mother's role within the family dynamic: There are other words, I know, to describe a woman like my mother and when she's tipsy or angry or sad, she uses them to describe herself: concubine, whore, lover . , another woman. There are so many and none are right. And there are also bad words for a person like me, the daughter of a person like her, but these words were not allowed in the air of our home (Jones 979). Dana does not see her mother as a "lover". or “the other woman,” but tells readers how her mother sees herself in specific circumstances. Gwendolyn shapes Dana's views on family relationships even as an adult: “I have to agree with my mother that many people suffer from a failure of imagination. They think there is only one right way to do things, only one right way to be happy” (980). Throughout the story Dana defends her mother's actions. Gwendolyn shakes Dana to make sure she understands that they need to communicate openly. Dana says that the shaking was “no big deal” and that it “shook [Dana] a little…not enough to scare her” (983). Out of context or without Dana's narration, readers might see this action as slightly offensive, but Dana reassures readers that it was not her mother's intention. Dana states that “it's hard to be a mother” and saw herself as “just a smaller version of” Gwendolyn (983). Dana admires her mother and the strength she maintains while living a secret life. Dana's narration provides insight into her feelings towards her father. His father doesn't like it when Dana calls him "sir" because it makes him feel like "a taskmaster" (981). However, after learning that Dana is the secret child and not Chaurisse, James allows Dana to call him sir. We learn that James gives Dana two-dollar bills when he is proud of her and she receives them after learning that she is the secret (982). We sense James' guilt for explaining the affair to Dana and he gives her $6. Additionally, Dana recounts learning that she was a secret after she and her father returned to the dinner table. Dana thinks to herself “You are the secret. He said it with a smile, touching the tip of my nose with his fingertip” (982). Reviewing James' actions helps reiterate that he thinks it's somethingcute and minor while Dana is upset by it, replaying the situation in her head. As readers, we are able to form an opinion of James. Dana doesn't say she's angry at her father for the conversation, but she repeats the action that disturbs her and changes her mood. These depictions of the other "Silver Sparrow" characters are very similar to the depictions of the As I Lay characters. Dying. The narrators in both stories do not say that they dislike the actions of the other characters, but they specifically continue to comment on specific actions. The Bundren children never say that they consider Anse a bad person, but they comment on his actions that lead readers to see him in a particular light. Dana admires her mother's strength and constantly praises her. In contrast, Dana never states that she is angry at her father. Because she lingers on their conversation and repeats his actions, readers are able to form their own view of James because of Dana's attentiveness. Narrators do not outwardly declare their feelings towards other characters, but comment on actions and support decisions; this is a theme present in works of Southern Fiction. Themes regarding race and religion are present in “Silver Sparrow” but do not recur in the plot of the story. Dana describes her teacher, Miss Russell, as “a white woman” and “the only white person [she had] ever seen” (980). Up until this point in the story, readers are unaware of Dana's race. Learning that her teacher is the only white person she has interacted with leads us to infer that Dana and her parents are black. Tensions involving race in the South are also introduced but not explored too thoroughly in this piece. Dana explains an incident that happened with her classmate John Marc. He said, "I've never been in a nigger house before" (981). Dana explained that “the air in the room stopped circulating…[she] knew something had gone terribly wrong…[and she]…never saw him again” (981). Even though John Marc expressed his comment in “such a polite way,” the emotions and meaning surrounding the word “nigger” offended Dana's mother (981). The inclusion of issues of race adds another layer of Southern narrative to the story.” Like August Light, Power, “Desiree's Baby,” and “The Appropriation of Cultures,” race plays a role in this story. Although the role of race is greater in the other pieces cited, race is clearly a recurring theme in works of Southern fiction. Religion is another theme constantly present in Southern fiction. Even though there is only a hint of religion in “Silver Sparrow,” this carries a lot of weight because it is found at the end of the story. After discovering that Chaurisse doesn't know she has a sister, Dana tells her mother "God knows everything" and her mother responds by saying "It's true...and so do we" (984). The mention of God is important because it comes at the climax of the story. Dana no longer has a reason to be jealous of her sister because she learned of her disability. Unlike her sister, Dana knows her family's situation. Religion is important enough in Dana and Gwendolyn's lives that Dana compares her knowledge of the situation to the knowledge that God has. Likewise, race is a large enough piece of Southern fiction to be mentioned twice in this tale. Unlike Jones, O'Connor was largely influenced by religion and it was present in the message of her works. Jones uses religion as a way for Dana to summarize the information she receives at the end of the story. This piece by Tayari Jones follows the plot trajectory of Southern fiction. The story has rising action, a climax and.