Dorothy WestThe TypewriterBy Mallory Edrich

Dorothy West

She was born on June,2,1907 in Boston, Massachusetts

She was the daughter of a freed slave

West had a affluent upbringing

West began writing stories as a child and throughout her life won many awards and contests for her writing.

The Typewriter

West’s story The Typewriter tied in 2nd place with a work by Zora Neale Hurston in Urban League's Opportunity magazine.

She won a trip to New York City

Then decided to stay in Harlem

3 T’S

Theme: The story describes a man who hates his real life. He creates a better life for himself using his imagination while still helping his daugther improve her typing skills. The message of the story is to find happiness in your life whether it be in your job or anything else in your life because if you do not, the chances are your life will be sad and not meaningful.

Tone: The author feels that people should find happiness in whatever they do or else they will

live very depressing sad lives. The feelings I get is at first, sadness and sorrow, then happiness, than sadness once again.

Technique: This piece of work is a short story The Typewriter uses slang and formal language The author uses symbolism. The typewriter represents the happiness the main character

finds then loses. The author uses a lot of imagery all through out the story. “in a ageless overcoat that

flapped in the wind.”

How was Dorothy West important to the Harlem Renaissance?

“We thought we were going to be the greatest writers in the world.” she told The Los Angeles Times in 1995. “We were all young and we fell in love with each other. We all had the same ambitions: writers and paintrs and so forth. We were free…we had innocence that nobody can have now.” (The New york Times)

Dorothy created a magazine called “Challenge” to recapture the dying Renaissance in the middle of the 1930s

She published the works of young African-American writers

West influenced the direction and form of African American literary production