Blog post 5, Cotton Candy & Little cog-but

At first glance I was under pretense that because both short stories were in the same region, the Caribbean, they had a lot of similarities. After analyzing not just the short story itself but its authors as well, I realized that there are important differences. For starters, the main difference begins with the fact that Cotton Candy is based in Cuba and during a historic time in Cuba. This Historic era was the Cuban Revolution. "She did not have to fight in any way to get the benfits in this era" (p 14 Cotton Candy), this line implies Lola status after the Cuban Revolution.

Cuban Revolution graphic

English settlers in Dominica

In Little Cog-Burt the setting is Dominica, and from context clues the reader can infer it was set sometime in the 1800's. This is a century before the Cuban Revolution. Aside from the history of the two passages the contrasting parts of these stories run even deeper. The main characters although both female represent two different spectrums of life in the Caribbean. Lola from Cotton Candy, signified the Cuban working class, as she endured her share of economic struggles having to work day to day. Moira did not face those same struggles in Dominica. Moira believed herself to be better than her laborers. Part of which was due to the fact they were Dominican and she was European. This brings another difference between the stories; Lola was a born citizen of the country in which her story takes place and she was content with that. Moira was not a born citizen and her ill feelings toward Dominicans reflected in her language about them."I won't give a party for those dark children" ( p 7 Little Cog-Burt), is an example in the text of how distasteful she is of Dominicans. Moira was very prideful of herself and her image, where as Lola was not. In Cotton Candy, Lola struggled with herself because of the absence of a "love life" while Moira was married with a devoted husband. 

The authors highlight two different view points of the Caribbean. Cotton Candy shows life in the nation of Cuba through a Cuban, while Little Cog-Burt shows Dominica through the eyes of a foreigner. But in both cases the main character Moira and Lola were marginalized. These characters are different from the rest of society in their area and have their own story. These authors also used their stories to showed motherly influence in the Caribbean. Lola's mother could be seen as strict and over protective, which could exemplify the parenting lifestyle in Cuba. In Little Cog-Burt, Ma'am Jovey was distant and didn't excessively control her child. She gave cog-burt independence. Each writer could be showcasing what parenting was like in those specific times. A parent in the 1800's is not the same as a parent in the 1900's no matter what nation or nationality. Even though both stories have their very own distinct message,  they both end with the happily ever after. Lola finally meets a lover, and Moira gives the doll to a child who appreciates it. I believe when comparing these stories the reader can infer that life in Caribbean no matter the situation, will always works out in some way. 

Little cog-but vs. Cotton Candy

Little cog-burt and Cotton Candy have clear distinctions of differences, but being that that both stories come from the Caribbean; there are cultural similarities in the way both stories play out. For instance in both of the short stories, beauty was influential on the actions of the characters. In little cog-but the whole story in a way revolved around a doll and what made that doll so special in Moira's eyes was the hair. The importance of this hair came from the fact it was European hair and everyone else in the story was African descendent with much more different hair. Moira's husband said "ours are so fair as toothpaste and honey and theirs are like lumps of toffee"(pg 7 little cog-burt), which is represents a popular opinion of europeans toward people in the Caribbean. In cotton candy beauty is also prevalent in the sense that when the writer described her she was made out to be ugly, "a big woman with a tick waist and straight, fat, piano like legs, arms with hanging flesh, and feet that twisted like a wild parrot." (pg 15 Cotton Candy). They contrast because the main character represented Cotton candy looks down upon her own beauty but uplifts the beauty of her supporting character briefly mentioned in the end. Not only is he uplifted but she embraces his darker skin, "the beautiful black man" ( pg 17 cotton candy). In little cog-but Moira was so negative toward the dark skin people. She felt superior to them like when she said " I won't give a party for those dark children, those dark children" (pg7 little cog-burt). They both contrast a popular Caribbean issue of colorism but from two different perspectives and two different times.