Thursday, November 29^th

Interpretation (2)

The colours in the painting:

The clothes of the police marshals are blueish or greyish contrary to the clothes of Ruby which are very white.

Her white clothes against her black skin make a contrast.

It gets our attention because it’s shiny.

It can symbolize the new mix between black and white people.

The position of the characters (head and hands):

Ruby is looking in front of her. She looks like a soldier going to war. She is walking to a new better but difficult future and the marshals too.

They have their hands in the same position to show they are determined and brave.

The heads of the US marshals:

In the painting, we can’t see the faces or the feelings of the US marshals. The painter wanted to highlight just Ruby.

Norman Rockwell probably didn’t want the spectators to spend time on the policemen. They are here to protect her from the insults and shouts of the racist people.

The splash of tomato:

The splash of tomato may represent the blood of Afro-American slaves in the past.

It can also represent the end of racism because the splash is across the word nigger, like the crack in the wall.

It may represent the end of a racist United States. The splash looks like a destroyed eagle, the symbol of the USA. The world will change for Afro-Americans, but violently.