Bambara, Toni Cade. The Salt Eaters. New York: Random House, 1980. Print.
Harris, Trader. "This Disease Called Strength: Some Observations on the Compensating Construction of Black Female Character." Wayne State University Libraries. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
In the novel “The Salt Eaters,’ and the article “This Disease Called Strength,” I have found many parallels, mainly, the idea of strength and healing in Black women. The two works share a focus on the emotional healing of Black women and the belief that it is okay to feel pain. In “The Salt Eaters,” I felt very affected by Minnie’s words about one of her patients who had just lost her mother. “So I say, Sweetheart, what’s the matter? And she says ‘My mama died and I feel so bad, I can’t go on’ and dah dah dah. Her mama died, she's supposed to feel bad. Expect to feel good when ya mama’s gone! Climbed right into my lap,” (Bambara 8). At this point in the novel, I realized the tendency of Black women to feel like they must always be strong, or at least appear to be. Although this patient was just one example thus far, she seems to represent a more general population of Black women, and the attitude of maintaining emotional strength. When Minnie’s patient lost her mother, and felt a very natural and expected pain, she didn’t know how to except the pain she was feeling. Instead, Minnie says that the patient expected to feel happy all the time. To me, this spoke a lot more about society than it did about the individual patient. I did not see her expectations to be happy all the time as a result of her own misconception of the hardships of life and the pain that comes with them. Instead, I saw her push back against her pain as a result of society’s expectation placed on Black females to appear to be strong, happy, and well put together... at all times! This idea society has that a Black woman is not affected by life’s pains in turn results in an unawareness of the normal emotional battles young women deal with, by young Black women. This unawareness could then lead a young Black woman to feel like being sad or heartbroken is not natural, and that she is mentally ill because of it.
Society’s idea of all Black women being “strong” is thoroughly discussed in Trudier Harris’ “This Disease Called Strength.” Harris describes how this attachment of “strength” to Black women is actually more harmful than it is positive. By having to live up to the strong image of herself, a Black woman is forced to be only that - strong. In turn, just as Minnie’s patient feeling extreme emotional pain for the first time, the Black woman begins to feel like something is wrong with her for feeling pain. She will also feel like she is weak for not being as “strong” as this fictional Black woman who is not affected by any emotional distress. Also, as a result of society’s expectations of Black women, they begin to feel alienated from the rest of society. How could a Black woman relay feelings of pain and sadness to people when she is expected to be strong?
Overall, the word “strength,” truly is an epidemic when placed on an entire group of people. An individual Black woman may be strong. All Black women may be strong. But to say for certain that all Black women are strong places unrealistic expectations for Black women within themselves, resulting in even deeper emotional distress.
