Baptism: Initiation to Life

In the second part of the book The Mee Street Chronicles: Straight up Stories of a Black Woman’s Life by Frankie Lennon the title “Baptism” serves as symbol of what the author is experiencing. A symbol is something used for or regarded as representing something else. These stories represent baptism because they wash away the narrator’s innocence as she is initiated into the reality of life.

Baptism is an act, an experience, or an ordeal by which one is, sanctified, initiated, or named as we see in the story “Baptism.” In this story, the narrator Frankie describes the life changing events she witnessed during the 1960’s, which were baptism to her. As Frankie states, “This decade of crisis and drama would take us to the water to be baptized: In fire and in ice.” To me, ice was the water used to baptize Frankie when she no longer encountered “White’s Only” signs above water fountains. Ice, the water used to baptize her as she experienced a higher standard of living. Still, there was fire: The water used to wash Frankie’s innocence away as she witnessed assassinations, and other gruesome acts of violence. This is baptism because the child who loved fairy tales was quickly learning that life was not always a fairy tale, whether she was ready or not. The narrator was placed in a position where everything was possible. Including in America, where a president was shot and parents were sacrificing their own children. Baptism, a rebirth, can also be the purification of thought and character of a person.

In the story “Fever” we learn about the narrator’s first love Stacey, which baptizes the narrator. In this story the narrator is baptized and reborn into her own identity as a lesbian. I believe she is being baptized because she is embracing her true identity without hiding her feelings for Stacey. They share a love that purifies them as a lesbian couple who truly love each other. Unfortunately there is also fire. In this story Frankie is baptized by fire as she learns the social stigma of same sex attraction. Though she is with the person she loves, she is forced to keep her relationship secret because of Stacey’s homophobia. This leads to Stacey becoming engaged to a man and leaving Frankie heartbroken. I think this experience is a form of baptism to the narrator because this experience allows her to grow as a person, which is purification of character. Though she doesn’t stay with Stacey, she manages to accept Stacey leaving. This shows how Frankie was born again as a stronger, lesbian, woman.

In the second part of the book The Mee Street Chronicles: Straight up Stories of a Black Woman’s Life by Frankie Lennon we find stories that are forms of baptism to the author. These stories teach us how the narrator is pushed into the reality of the world as if she were pushed into the waters of baptism.