Zora Neale Hurston was an American writer, known as one of the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance. She was born in a small town Itonvil, Florida. In 1925, she first came to New York with the troupe of actors. Her only possessions were half a dollar in her pocket, a bag of manuscripts and pearls of the southern wit on the tip of her tongue. Zora was truly an amazingly gifted storyteller, who charmed the audience at once. The anthropologist Franz Boaz, who studied with her at Barnard College, persuaded her to collect folklore of the native inhabitants of Florida, which she did. Her work “Mules and Men” (1935) is still considered to be the most exciting and skillfully written book in the field of folklore. With her natural spoken English, she continued a strong tradition of Mark Twain. Hurston’s prose sparkled with vivid language and comic or tragic stories from African-American oral folklore.

Her famous story “Drenched in Light” was first published in 1924 in the journal Opportunity, dedicated to Harlem Renaissance. What makes it special, is that it is told from a child’s point of view. The story was written at the time, when some white folks perceived kids as savages, and the girl Isis was one of them. She was raised by her grandmother, whose strict discipline made her constantly think of ways to escape.

It is known from history that blacks often relied on trickery in order to escape punishments or other unpleasant situations. In such a way, they learned how to survive, as these skills helped them to evolve and escape from the harsh realities of life. Folklore, especially music and dancing, helped them to get through the days. The girl relied on similar skills to free herself from her grandmother’s discipline. One day, when Isis got into serious trouble and made her grandma terribly angry, she ran away and tried to kill herself. The truth is that Isis was just an innocent child, who did not know any better. Luckily, when the girl tried to drown herself, the white lady, who was passing nearby, noticed her. She became utterly charmed by this young, free girl, and just wanted to be drenched in her light. Perhaps, the lady realized that little girl had no constrains or restrictions imposed upon her, and nothing could prevent her from having fun. Perhaps, she was once free, just like Isis, only a long, long time ago.