The War of the Wall is a short story written by Toni Cade Bambara. It is about a lady who came from New York to paint on a wall in Taliaferro Street. This wall had been used by many people in Taliaferro Street, especially the younger children, so when they saw the lady, they immediately named her a thief. She is constantly showing she is different, by ignoring people, refusing food, and eating differently. Although this is just how people act where the lady comes from, it is still seen as rude to everyone. When the lady finally goes back to where she came from, she leaves behind a mural on the wall. It is a picture of multiple significant African Americans, dedicated to a boy named Jimmy Lyons, a boy who used to live on Taliaferro Street until he goes to Vietnam, and does not come back. This story portrays the effect of war on people, the judgment people feel, and how attached people can get to everything.
War helps people see how quickly they can lose someone when they least expect it. After Lou and the narrator find out that Jimmy will not come back from fighting in Vietnam, one of the first things that they do is carve his name onto “their” wall as a little dedication. When the painter lady comes to paint the wall, they see it as a sign of her aggression and attempt for dominance over the wall. She does not talk to them, like they are beneath her, and so the boys feel attacked. They already feel the effect of war from losing the person they look up to, but then they had to face the lady. They do not know why the lady wants that specific wall, when she could have chosen any other wall, until the end.
Attachment is how people learn to love others. They want only the best for the people they care about. Jimmy meant so much to the children, so they did not want to let him go. They still wanted him to do things like bring them fishing, but now that cannot happen. After the name is carved into the wall, they are even more attached to the inanimate brick structure. When things are taken away from people, they almost always tend to feel a certain amount of dislike or resentment towards the person who took it. This is exactly what happens with the painter lady. As soon as she starts to paint on the wall, she is seen as a thief. The love that was for Jimmy had turned into the love for the wall, and what it stood for. The painter lady is also attached to Jimmy, or she would not have painted a mural for him. Love and affection can always be a reason to do something others do not approve of, even if they should.
Everyone is judged on a daily basis, whether it is for their looks, personality, or actions. The narrator deems the painter lady as an unfriendly person right away because she took up a place that the narrator loved. Although he should have waited to see what she was going to do with the wall, he just decided to think she was always a bad person. Her actions changed the way she was thought of, when the narrator did not even know her. Her personality also affected how she was viewed by others. She ignores people, unless they make her pay attention, so she is seen as acting better than the others. She is also very picky about her food. Although the narrator’s mother understands that this is most likely just because the lady has a diet, others still do not like her.
This story shows how war, judgment, and attachment can all be negative traits. War can tear people apart from the things they want. Getting attached will sometimes leave you with nothing. Finally, judging others before everything is settled can cause harmful feelings to everyone. The War of the Wall shows just what people can do to themselves and others around them if they are negatively seen.
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