Such a Fun Age

One of the most insidious ways that racism plays out in American society is that white people often place themselves in positions to feel condescending and paternalistic towards people of color. This happens numerous times in Such a Fun Age, from the mother in the grocery store who “got a little nervous” (11) and calls the cops on Emira, to Alix, who thinks things like “Good girl” (261) about Emira’s behavior and who consistently snoops on Emira’s phone. In fact, Alix provides most of the examples of racist paternalism in the text as she inappropriately tries to influence “Her Emira” (158). Yet Kelley, too, tries to enforce his own codes of ethics on Emira, telling her things like “Emira, you can’t be one of [Alix’s] people” (188) in an attempt to control Emira’s behavior. In each of these instances, a white person tries to tell Emira what is best for her, or thinks that they know, illustrating their participation in the belief that white supremacy gives white people: That whiteness gives them racialized superiority over all other people.

Reid calls this racist behavior out quite explicitly later in the novel by exploring the reasons for Alix and Kelley’s controlling actions. In Alix’s case, she believes that there are some people of color who “were extremely special” (198) and thus don’t “deserv[e] poor treatment” (198). This is a common pattern in racist paternalistic behavior: A white person thinks that they can decide who is “special” and who is not, which then allows them to decide who deserves fair treatment. Similarly, Kelley believes that he can dictate what is the healthiest choice for Emira to make; when she chooses to end things for good with him, Emira realizes that “forming a relationship again would somehow dictate that he could be right about everything else, when really, he had a lot to learn” (303). In this concluding statement, Reid inserts her own perspective on the appropriate reaction to paternalistic white people: they have “a lot to learn.” 

A strong thematic element of Such a Fun Age is the way that people mature into adulthood. Though many characters struggle with age to some extent, Emira’s development tends to be central to these moments. Throughout the novel, Emira wants others to take her seriously but also struggles with the way that her lack of direction impacts people’s perception of her maturity. After the incident at Market Depot, she focuses more on the sense that she doesn’t “have a real job” (39) than on the racism she had encountered. Similarly, Emira appreciates Zara as a friend particularly because Zara never criticizes “the fact that Emira had no idea what she wanted to do with her life” (129). It’s important to Emira that she be able to identify what she wants to do and to allow this to mark her maturity and true entrance into adulthood.

Later in the novel, Emira begins moving closer to the vision of herself that she wants, though she still suffers on all sides by other people’s interpretations of who she should be. Though Kelley defends how “grown up and mature” (227) she is to Alix, he also condescends to Emira and frequently pays for things for her. Similarly, Tamra tells Emira that she wants “to go to grad school” (176) even though Emira isn’t clear on what her ”big goal” (177) is. By the end of the novel, Emira is able to navigate all of these outside forces as she manages her own path toward self-discovery and adulthood, finding a career that is distinctly separate from the Chamberlains and from Kelley Copeland.