Throughout our lifetime, from growing up as a child and even as an adult, we are constantly taught life lessons. These life lessons are usually taught to us by older and educated people such as our school teachers, our parents, a mentor, older friends, or family members. In Toni Bambara's short story The Lesson, Miss Moore, an educated black woman takes on the role of a being a mentor for the children of her poor neighborhood. Miss Moore is a qualified life coach because she attended college and she says, "it was only right that she should take responsibility for the young ones' education" (96). .
Sylvia, the main character of The Lesson, is a very stubborn, strong, and an outspoken girl. Early on in the short-story we begin to see how Sylvia carries herself and her attitude on life. Based on her actions we can imagine Sylvia being this very confident girl who would not let society knock her down. She is very obnoxious and believes that she knows it all. Miss Moore takes a trip with Sylvia and the children from the neighborhood to F.A.O Schwarz, an expensive toy store and Sylvia learns new things about her life that she was unaware of before.
Through Miss Moore's teaching Sylvia learns about the differences in social classes and realizes that she is in the lower class. Sylvia is naive because she isn't aware of other things that are happening in the world other than her life in the slums. All Sylvia knows is the lifestyle of living in the ghetto. Miss Moore states that, "we all poor and live in the slums" and Sylvia replies that it does not characterize her (97). She doesn't call herself poor and the place she stays the slums because she has not idea of any other lifestyle that she can compare with her current lifestyle(being poor). .
Sylvia and the crew arrive on Fifth Avenue and describe seeing ".everybody dressed up in stockings. One lady in a fur coat. Crazy white lady.
