The autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman: Reconstruction

Book 2, titled Reconstruction after the era (1861-1865) that followed the Civil War, locates Jane under the service of Mr. Bone, who seems to be a powerful entity in the Republican Party. Jane, who is obviously not in her preteen years, has grown into a mature and collected young woman who trusts herself and her potential to make a living. Although Ned helped her economically after finding a teaching position in Kansas, Jane was never one to depend on someone financially, as she has proven throughout the events in Book 2 that she can adapt to her ever changing conditions and find solace and strength in her work, regardless of whether that work involves clearing a field, or caring for children, or fishing and washing clothes. 

Despite trusting herself, Jane has acquired with age a better sense of her reality. She had used her determination to find Mr. Brown and reach Ohio as a driving force in Book 1, but the Jane in Book 2 has abandoned that mission, not because she is a conformist, but because she has learned the value of prioritizing and has acquired a deeper sense of responsibility, especially for Ned, that has forced her to reevaluate her somewhat obstinate character. Furthermore, the reader can find in Book 2 a Jane that is selfless, a Jane that puts her loved ones first and fights for their wellbeing, even if in doing so she must confront a decent amount of pain.

Ned serves as the perfect example: Jane finds pride in Ned’s upbringing, and his wellbeing is her newfound driving force; she has become so emotionally intertwined with the young boy that she first saw as a burden and as an obstacle in Book 1 that she suffers when he must leave her. A younger Jane would have probably put her needs first, but this Jane encourages Ned to leave despite the pain she feels in her heart because she comprehends that keeping Ned all to herself would kill him. The Jane we see now willingly gets out of her way to take care of those she loves, whether that means visiting a hoodoo for Joe Pittman or taking a mule late at night to warn Ned about his killer.

Book 2, as expected given its title, alludes the great pain and political, as well as social, uncertainty that accompanied the rebuilding of the United States after the events of the Civil War. Not only is the reader confronted with the political debate between the Republicans and the Democrats, but is also immersed in the unfairness and cruelty of the Reconstruction society, one where blacks were still persecuted, dehumanized, and punished for the color of their skin. The author vividly illustrates the ongoing battle of colored men and women during the Reconstruction era, when resistance to white supremacy became the driving force for those who believed in a unified nation and a multiracial society, a beautiful plea that often led to the death of its advocates. 

Works cited 

Gaines, Ernest J. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. Bantam Books, June 1972. 

Reconstruction - American Civil War - HISTORY.com. (2017). HISTORY.com. Retrieved 30 April 2017, from http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/reconstruction

Reconstruction and Its Aftermath: 1865–1915 | Scholastic.com. (2017). Scholastic.com. Retrieved 30 April 2017, from http://www.scholastic.com/browse/subarticle.jsp?id=1429

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Weebly. (2017). The autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. Retrieved from http://www.cliomuse.com/autobiography-of-miss-jane-pittman.html