Too stereotypical or true to life?

Southern_girl29 · Oct 12, 2007

I'm in the outlining stages of my next project right now, and I'm trying to decide something about one of the minor characters. She's a cook at a hotel in Georgia. The hotel used to be a plantation house, and she's been with the staff for 40 years. I'm wondering if she should be a black woman or would that be too stereotypical? I think it's important to be true to life but I don't want someone reading my book to say that it's stereotypical.

NeuroFizz · Oct 12, 2007

You can make her anything you want, but choose what fits best with the story. If you can squeeze some tension or controversy out of it, so much the better.

a_sharp · Oct 12, 2007

You should forget the stereotyping issue and make your cook's race fit the role you have in mind. Since your story is set in the South, it's at least 50% likely she's black, so the choice is yours.

Fiction is not about political correctness. It's about making your characters work with the story and depicting them with authenticity. If you see her as black and she's got 40 years in the same place, I think those are ingredients for an interesting characterization.

maestrowork · Oct 12, 2007

A black cook who worked for a plantation for 40 years is not stereotype -- it happens. How you write her, I think, is another matter. If you're going to write about this character, make sure you get her right and not rely on stereotypes.

Southern_girl29 · Oct 12, 2007

I'm not planning to write her as the sterotypical black mammy or anything like that. In one scene I have planned, she tells the MC that the reason she's stayed so long is that she likes the job, it pays well, she was able to save up enough money to help put her sons through college and she liked the people who owned the hotel. Right now, her main role is to divulge information the other characters won't tell my MC.

Garpy · Oct 12, 2007

If it were me, I'd opt for the atypical option...you get subconcious kudos points from the reader by not doing the obvious thing. But, it's important at some subtle level to indicate to the reader that it was a deliberate choice, and not a random selection, for you to be able to cash in those points.

WittyandorIronic · Oct 12, 2007

a_sharp said:
Fiction is not about political correctness. It's about making your characters work with the story and depicting them with authenticity. If you see her as black and she's got 40 years in the same place, I think those are ingredients for an interesting characterization.

I totally agree with this. I also agree with the idea of incorporating some conflict about some viewing it in a stereotypical light into the story, if it fits. Fiction is what we make it...funny thing how that works.

The_Grand_Duchess · Oct 12, 2007

As long as she's not calling everyone honey chile' and offering up cornbread to all the world's trouble I think you're ok

Wraith · Oct 12, 2007

This kind of stereotype has a nice side, too. Images we all like, subconsciously. And if you make her a realistic, complex character, as you seem to be planning, then why not? It's all about how you write her. Think well about how you imagine her, what's she like in your mind, and the readers will feel the truth in that and won't even notice unless she's a walking stereotype. When you see her in your mind and when you hear her speaking, that's when you know what she is. To hell with the rest - especially at the outlining point, imo.

maestrowork · Oct 12, 2007

You can go either way and still get away from stereotypes. If you go with a black woman, then there's a certain familiarity and "realness" to it -- but you will have to try hard not to use any cliches and stereotypes. If you make it a white man, for example, then there may be certain automatic "incredulity" (would a white man really serve at a southern plantation for 40 years?) which you will have to overcome, but the result could be interesting and "refreshing."

FennelGiraffe · Oct 12, 2007

If she's only a minor character, do you really need to make it obvious either way? Even a physical description doesn't necessarily need to indicate she's black, not unless you start talking about "kinky hair" and "chocolate-brown skin".

melaniehoo · Oct 12, 2007

I wouldn't think it odd if I read it, but I agree with the other posts about avoiding the stereotypical speech patterns. I would wonder about a white man - if you go that route I'd want some backstory explaining how he first came to work there 40 years ago.

Southern_girl29 · Oct 12, 2007

She is a minor character, but she divulges some very important information to the MC. She's also going to help the MC along the way.

blacbird · Oct 12, 2007

maestrowork said:
A black cook who worked for a plantation for 40 years is not stereotype -- it happens.

Or, to put it another way, real life is full of stereotypes. But just having this character be black isn't really a stereotype; you'd get into a stereotype if you gave her personal characteristics that fed into the tired 1930s image of a black cook that you see so painfully in old movies. If you can make her a living, breathing human being, with individual qualities and faults, you'll be fine.

caw

Scrawler · Oct 12, 2007

Is it a stereotype or more of a cliche?

maestrowork · Oct 12, 2007

Southern_girl29 said:
She is a minor character, but she divulges some very important information to the MC. She's also going to help the MC along the way.

Don't worry too much about it... Remember Bubba's mother in Forrest Gump? Talk about stereotype but she was such a minor character and in fact she added to the movie and when she finally received the check from Forrest for her son's share in the Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co. -- it was well worth the stereotype -- it had a point! So, it depends on how you deliver it and as long as you're not exploiting the stereotype or being lazy, I think you'll do fine.

Southern_girl29 · Oct 12, 2007

maestrowork said:
Don't worry too much about it... Remember Bubba's mother in Forrest Gump? Talk about stereotype but she was such a minor character and in fact she added to the movie and when she finally received the check from Forrest for her son's share in the Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co. -- it was well worth the stereotype -- it had a point! So, it depends on how you deliver it and as long as you're not exploiting the stereotype or being lazy, I think you'll do fine.

I love the scene after she receives the check and she has a white maid. It's one of my favorites from the whole movie.

I'm not going to exploit the stereotype at all. The way she's shaping up, she's probably going to be one of those minor characters that I love and wish I could do more with.

JoniBGoode · Oct 12, 2007

The type of hotels you mention basically make a tourist attraction of the antibellum South. In some ways, they're romaticizing what was a very ugly reality, especially for black people. So if she's black, I'd like to see that addressed, even if it's just a line or two.

If your story is set in 2007, and she's 65 now, then she went to work there in 1967 as a 25-year-old woman. I do think I'd be looking for an explaination of why a young black woman in the 60s would take a job in a place like that.

I guess what I'm saying is, it would be nice to know if she had doubts about taking the job, and overcame them...or what.

Too stereotypical or true to life?

Southern_girl29

NeuroFizz

The grad students did it

a_sharp

Somebody give me an A

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

Southern_girl29

Garpy

keyboard monkey

WittyandorIronic

The_Grand_Duchess

I record everything.

Wraith

The demon in your inkwell.

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

FennelGiraffe

It's green they say

melaniehoo

And thus we begin the edits

Southern_girl29

blacbird

Scrawler

Bored fanatic

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

Southern_girl29

JoniBGoode