Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson” is a short story about a rebellious young African American girl who hates her neighbor who insists on teaching the neighborhood kids lessons when they would much rather be playing. The most important lesson, aside from arithmetic that Miss Moore tries to teach the children deals with social inequality and in America, and she tries to show them by taking them on a field trip from Harlem to F.A. O Schwarz in downtown Manhattan and by bringing forth examples of how much toys cost in the store and how where they are from one toy can cost about as much as it would take to feed a family of seven people. Although the children despise Miss Moore for running their fun, she actually turns out to be a valuable friend to them but as many children are they are blind to what’s actually good for them, and only live in the heat of the moment.
Although, through the narrator (Sylvia's) eyes, Miss more is portrayed as the antagonist whom is hated and spoken about derogatorily by all the neighborhood children, she is actually the only one who is looking out for their benefit. She chooses the optimal way in teaching them, by example and she tackles the more important lessons, such as inequality and social matters rather than strictly educating them on scholastics because she knows that in the society they live in, realizing what is right and wrong is perhaps the most important lesson. It gives the children the opportunity to realize, learn and take a stand.
