Popular Culture Review Vol. 14, No. 1, February 2003 | Page 75

Miss Em’s Voyeuristic Gaze of P in k y

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inherited. Dicey declares, “If it something that white folks don’t want you to have
you might as well forget it....”
Pinky and Miss Em
Pinky at first resists becoming Miss Em’s nurse and by extension resists ac
cepting the subordinate position imposed on the black South. Finally, however.
Pinky accedes to her grandmother’s wishes, and her metamorphosis begins. As
Pinky provides care to Miss Em, the two women, initially at odds, develop affec
tion for each other. Over time. Miss Em displaces Dicey and assumes the role of
the surrogate maternal figure to Pinky. Miss Em finally forces Pinky to come to
terms with her blackness. Miss Em also instills in Pinky a vision for providing
help to her community through s