The dull dentist

I rather enjoyed this book. I was not too sure about this book when i started it. This was due to this book starting with the dentist and just talking about how dull he was and how he was having a hard time getting work. However the book picked up once he met his soon to be wife. Once his wife wins the money that's when the book became rather good. His wife turned into a very frugal person. She began to take money from her husband just to keep it even when they were beginning to live in poverty. There were two other themes within this book that i found rather interesting. These themes were macs old friend feeling like he was cheated out of tje winnings because he gave up on his girl. The other theme wa the beast that was within him. This beast was always close to coming out. This beast ended up doing him in in the end. Marcus feeling he was cheated is alos what ended up doing him in the end. All prople within this book ended up paying for the beast that was within mac. And all of this had to do with people being greedy and were then killed by the beast.

Iola

This book was a very interesting book. The book presented many issues that were abundant at the time and tried to show a different perspective that would allow for the reader to see the issues in a different manner. The one drop theme was brought up throughout the book as the story revolved around Iola and how she was sold to slavery. I think the book tried to show that the one drop thought was outdated and in very poor taste. It says a few times that had people not know the they had the one drop they thought Henry and Iola were white. There was also the constant theme of trying to prove that blacks were just as equal as the whites within the book. This was done by having the black characters either debate with whites to show that they were on the same intellectual level. This was done with the doctor and Robert did it a few time. Also there was the Uncle that would not leave the white family because he was a man of his word. By him doing this he is showing the they are honorable and that they should be considered equal with the whites. There is also the theme of the black characters within this book having to band together and not marring outside of their group. They gathered together because its how the people felt comfortable and thought it was the only place that they would fit in. Then there is the cant marry with whites. This is a thought that they should not have been considering because they were trying to be seen as equals. This is a very thought provoking book. Only knock on it was that it was a slow read due to all the talking back and forth.

Pudd'nhead

I found the one blood drop theme in this book to be very interesting. This is a constant theme through the book. The "Fake" Tom has many stereotypes that happen to him and that are said about him even before he finds out that he 1/32 black. From the start the show the "original" tom to be strong, courageous, and of good health. Then they show the fake tom as weak, sickly, and not able to get along with people. It is later shown in the book that fake tom falls into a few different stereotypes. He likes to gamble. Not only does he like to gamble but he does not know when to stop. As he is constantly getting farther into debt. He then resorts to stealing to try to pay back his debt. Only to incur these debts again. Roxy later says, after she has told him that he is part black, that his black blood is leading him to be a coward. This is the only reason his is a coward because he has such a noble family in her point of view. Later fake tom also commits a murder. All of the stereotypes that are shown in this book due to being black still tend to show up in certain part of the US and in pop culture. Blacks are still stereotyped as people that gamble, steal, and murder. When all people do these things. I just found it interesting how the theme of one drop seemed to have so much sway over the actions that fake tom does throughout the book.