The Ways of White Folks

A resident of Melton, Cora Jenkins earns her living working for the Studevant family. Her job is hard and demanding: “She was the Studevants’ maid of all work—washing, ironing, cooking, scrubbing, taking care of kids, nursing old folks, making fires, carrying water” (3). Despite the demanding nature of her job, Cora displays resilience and toughness. She started working for the Studevants to support her younger siblings and continues to work for them to support her aging parents. Over the course of “Cora Unashamed,” Cora works through years of mistreatment from the Studevants so that she can provide for her family. Cora is a resilient and strong female character, and when Story 1 concludes, Cora is jobless but still surviving and helping her family. She has proven herself to be tough, resourceful, and loving. Her bittersweet ending shows that doing the right thing can have consequences, but that resilience and love are attributes worth striving for.

Cora also believes in kindness. She values love over adhering to societal norms. She helps raise Jessie Studevant with kindness and tenderness, more so than the Studevant family does. When Jessie plans to go to college, Cora mourns: “In her heart she had adopted Jessie. In that big and careless household it was always Cora who stood like a calm and sheltering tree for Jessie to run to in her troubles” (9).