The Gold Cadillac

Fiction | Novella | Middle Grade | Published in 1987

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Pages 9-25

Pages 26-43

Author’s Note

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Themes

Racism and Segregation

The most important thematic element of The Gold Cadillac is the ever-present shadow of racism and segregation that hangs over the family and their community. Since the story is told through a child narrator’s eyes, descriptions of racism are limited to ’lois’s own understanding of the concepts, as well as statements from Daddy that ’lois documents. There is no question, despite ’lois’s childhood in Ohio, that she and her family need to be “heedful of what white folks [think]” (26), as Daddy states. During the trip to Mississippi, however, segregation and the racist behavior of the police affect ’lois and her family in a way ’lois has not experienced before.

Mildred D. Taylor’s choice to depict ’lois and her family traveling into the Jim Crow South creates a story that illustrates not just the damaging impact of racist beliefs but also the terrible impact of racist laws and the behaviors that these laws support. While this novel deals with historical events and circumstances, readers can learn from ’lois’s experience about how structural racism contributes to racist interpersonal behaviors. Further, ’lois, as a child narrator, shows the internal effect of experiencing direct racist violence as the eventual result of laws and policies. As the family prepares to enter Mississippi, Daddy cautions ’lois and Wilma that “whenever we stop and there’re white people around, I don’t want either one of you to say a word” (27-29). For ’lois, the psychological toll of being told not to “say a word” affects how they feel about their self-worth and safety going forward. During the scene with the police officers, ’lois remembers her father’s warning and keeps silent. There is a direct connection between the racist laws that created segregation and the ways that ’lois is forced to learn to behave to stay safe and keep her family safe.

As a short novel written for young audiences, The Gold Cadillac includes Taylor’s careful message about racism and segregation centered around a particular racist incident and allows the narrator, ’lois, and her family, to find safety and a resolution after the incident. Taylor’s careful use of a single family’s experience makes the novel useful in myriad educational settings for young readers because it doesn’t necessarily require adult oversight for children to read it, understand the message, and draw their own conclusions about the effects of systemic racism.

Family and Community Bonds

A primary theme of The Gold Cadillac is the way that family and community bonds foster resilience for young people. For Black people who survived slavery and following generations who lived within the resulting racist systems in the United States, family and community networks are a primary source of safety and stability. The community ’lois lives in represents this kind of communal safety; she lives near both extended family and other neighbors who support one another. They show up to celebrate the new car; they express concern for Wilbert’s safety when he proposes the trip South, and they accompany him so they can protect one another. The emphasis on communal activities illustrates the importance of community as a source of strength and comfort for Black families in this era. Part of Taylor’s intent in portraying this kind of kinship is to show how children and adolescents develop within their larger social setting. ’Lois and her sister both feel connected to a wide range of adults whom they see often, and they are safe and comfortable within their neighborhood as a result.

Family and community bonds provide both ’lois and her family safety and resilience. Their sense of safety within community is portrayed through conversation. For example, Daddy describes being able to “watch out for each other” (26) when the family sleeps in the car overnight in Mississippi. ’Lois consistently feels that her proximity to family, both with Wilma and her parents, is what allows her to navigate the world. When they first hear the word “lynch,” she and Wilma clasp hands; when ’lois is frightened during the overnight stay in the car, her parents reassure her that she is safe with them, and when confronted with signs announcing “white only,” she turns to her father for understanding. Toward the conclusion of the story, resilience is also shown through Daddy’s connection to his family’s land in Mississippi. ’Lois describes seeing her father “looking deep in thought, walk[ing] off alone across the family land” (36). For Black and African American families in the 20th century, property ownership was a critical defining facet of freedom and success. After walking across the land, Daddy reflects on his dreams of a less racist country. Through his connection to his parents and their land, Daddy finds resilience after a difficult incident and shares his hope with his daughter.

Loss of Innocence

The Gold Cadillac is a story about how people adapt to traumatic circumstances. In particular, the novel deals with the way that children and adolescents learn about racism and process their own experiences with racist people and laws. Young adult literature often seeks to show readers how young people move through relatable experiences. Through ’lois’s narration, readers see her process of internalizing and reacting to trauma, maturing as she incorporates the new information, and moving forward despite difficult memories of the experience.

Over the course of the novel, ’lois learns more about racism and begins adapting her sense of self and her behavior as a result. When her father and the other men in the neighborhood are talking about driving the Cadillac to Mississippi, ’lois loses her limited, innocent view of the world and begins sorting out which places are safe and familiar versus unsafe and “foreign.” This kind of learning is typical for Black youth who encounter racism in their communities; Taylor’s portrayal of ’lois helps readers to see the psychological effects of racism.