The Pain Tree by Olive Senior

The story chosen for this analysis is “Bruised Fruit” from Olive Senior's The Pain Tree. In this story, the main character is Donna, a young Jamaican girl living in a small rural community with her family. This story examines how Donna's social, cultural, and economic background influences her attitude towards family relations, social inequality, race and racism, gender and identity. Donna comes from an economically disadvantaged family which affects her attitude towards family relations. She has grown up seeing how hard her parents work to make ends meet and it has taught her the value of hard work and responsibility at a young age. As such she takes on many responsibilities within the home including helping to take care of younger siblings while also attending school despite having limited financial resources available to them. Additionally, Donna has had to face the fact that as part of a poor family they are often looked down upon by other members of their community who have better financial means which creates tension between herself and those around them when it comes to family relations since she feels like they are not seen as being equal or valued in society because of their economic status. In terms of social inequalities Donna experiences similar feelings due to the fact that she does not have access to many opportunities that wealthier individuals do so there is no way for her to escape poverty or improve her circumstances unless something drastic changes which can lead to feelings of frustration or anger regarding these inequities. Additionally, when it comes race and racism Donna does not feel represented in society since she knows that people with similar backgrounds are often overlooked when it comes certain opportunities or privileges simply based on their skin color further perpetuating these inequalities in society today. When it comes to gender Donna`s views largely reflect traditional beliefs about femininity where women should be more passive rather than pursuing leadership roles while still advocating for respect regardless of gender which becomes clear when she insists on being treated fairly by male peers even though she may not have full authority over them yet due tot heir age difference . Finally, Donna`s attitude towards identity reflects a desire for autonomy within society but also recognizing ones roots through language, culture, etc which can help shape ones sense self worth both individually as well as amongst others