story, “Two men and others looked at the four boys jumping and jiggling on the platform and thought, It must be fun to ride that way” (191). Men normally have influence to control dangerous situations and instead of using this power to persuade the boys to come into a safe place, they allow the children to continue to endanger their lives. The women on the train “ became very angry when they look at the four boys. Most of them brought their brows together hoping the boys would see their extreme disapproval” (191). In the story, one woman in the subway car saw that “three of the boys were Negroes and the fourth was something else she couldn’t tell for sure. She was afraid that they would be fresh and laugh at her and embarrass her” (191). It seems that the women are scared of even confronting the barrier that separates her from the children. The racial wall is so intimidating to the women that all they could do is sit and watch the young boys in fear of their safety.As time passed, the racial begun to slowly deteriorate. Sometimes, motherly instincts will overcome anything, and in this case it is to persuade the women to stand up to the children. “The lady who was afraid of embarrassment saw the boys jerk forward and backwards and grab the swinging guard chains…She stood up with determination and went to the door” (191). Allowing her maternal feelings to control her, she tried to make a difference. She started to break down the racial barriers; yet without the help the other adults, her progress was stopped when the boys turned and laughed at her, and as she feared, she was embarrassed. There is one character in the short story that is most significant. Paley describes him as “one of the men whose boyhood had been more watchful than brave” (192). He was the only one motivated to take some action and interact with the boys by “walking in a citizenl...
