"Brownies" by ZZ Packer is a recounting of an african american brownie Girl Scout's camping trip and their rivalry with another brownie troop of white girls. The story tackles issues of race and prejudice and mostly uses vivid descriptions and similes to do so as well as creating and using words that are considered taboo.
Descriptions and similes in the story are exemplified in the quotes: "She did it so methodically, so exquisitely, so humbly, she must have been trained" and "Janice pointed her finger like a gun". These metaphors resonate strongly with the reader and have the function to create a vivid image. Even though the vocabulary of these metaphors can become out of the reach of the pre-teen narrator, the creation of a mental image must have been regarded more important than making a convincing narrator of a certain age.
Certain words such as "nigger" and "retarded" are used in the narration and are widely considered to be taboo, but the author does not stop at known taboo words. Throughout the narration the words that are considered taboo among the troop of brownies range from "Caucasian" to "Chihuahua". This creation of "bad" words and their use helps the reader connect with the theme of what is considered acceptable and what is not in different groups. The difference between how the children handle "their" words and how the real taboo words are dealt with makes a strong statement about the general perception of taboos in society.
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