Written by Paul Laurence Dunbar, "The Finish of Patsy Barnes" tells the story of the titular character, a poor young African-American boy who enters a horse race in order to earn the money he needs to pay for his sick mother's treatment. His victory is compounded by his decision to ride and therefore symbolically conquer the horse that killed his father, empowering his mother to begin her journey to recovery.
Dunbar was an African-American poet, novelist and playwright who was most active during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He published during the Harlem Renaissance and was an inspiration to Maya Angelou. His work often featured characters who used the dialect associated with blacks living in the antebellum South; in "The Finish of Patsy Barnes," Patsy and his mother's speech patterns are noticeably different from those of the white doctor they initially hire as well as those of the horse owners. "The Finish of Patsy Barnes" doesn't flinch from depicting the racism of the time in which it is set, but it also does not shrink from criticizing both Eliza and Patsy, the former for complaining and the latter for misbehavior. Eliza's illness and Patsy's subsequent triumph serve as devices to redeem the two central characters for their earlier faults.
In "Raymond's Run," Squeaky decides to coach her brother Raymond, who has a mental disability, in track. Squeaky attends the May Day celebration, where she wins an important race. During the race, she sees Raymond running alongside the track. This is when she decides to be his coach.
Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker ("Squeaky") has proven herself to be a skilled runner. She has a wall of trophies and ribbons and wins every race she runs.
At the May Day celebration, Squeaky and her rival Gretchen face off in a big race. While running, Squeaky sees Raymond running alongside the track and realizes that he could be a runner, too.
Squeaky wins the race, but by the time she hears the announcement she has already decided to put her own running career on the backburner to coach Raymond
The first-person narrator, Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker, known as Squeaky, is a young girl growing up in Harlem. Squeaky prides herself on her performance on the track and her ability to care for her brother Raymond, who has a mental disability.
A little girl with skinny arms and a high-pitched voice, Squeaky is a self-confident, cocky youngster who boasts that everyone knows she is the fastest thing on two feet. Squeaky takes her running seriously; she is not afraid to practice high stepping out on the street where anyone can see her. She is also a responsible and caring child. Although Raymond is actually older, Squeaky thinks of him as her little brother because he is less bright than she is. She is proud of her ability to care for him, protecting him from the taunts and threats of other children.
The May Day celebration in the park includes a race, but the most important event is the maypole dancing. Squeaky has refused to participate because she is uncomfortable getting all dressed up in a white dress and shoes to dance. She is a practical girl who describes herself as “a poor Black girl who really can’t afford to buy shoes and a new dress you only wear once.” She is there to compete in the track meet. Secure in her identity as a runner, she explains that she uses her feet for running, not dancing.
Squeaky’s main competition is a new girl, Gretchen Lewis, whom Squeaky has tried to size up on the basis of a few brief contacts. When Gretchen smiles at Squeaky during one of their encounters, Squeaky does not think it is a real smile, because, in her opinion, girls never really smile at each other. As Squeaky checks out her rival on the day of the race, she notices that Gretchen kicks her legs out like a pro, and she begins to look at Gretchen with respect.
As she crouches down waiting for the crack of the pistol to start the race, Â
When the race ends, Squeaky is thinking of how she could give up her own career as a runner to concentrate on coaching Raymond, rather than listening for the announcement of the winner. Because she already has a room full of trophies and ribbons, and Raymond has nothing, she thinks that she could help him get some recognition as a runner. Squeaky changes as she shifts her attention from herself to her brother. As she hears her name announced as the winner, she is already focusing on Raymond’s future. Although Raymond was not actually in the race, this was really his run.
When Squeaky realizes that winning is not everything, she sees Gretchen in a new light, as a person who also works hard to achieve her goals. She looks at her former rival with new respect, thinking that perhaps Gretchen is the type of person who would help coach Raymond. The story ends with...
