Ourika The book that caught my attention the most for this essay was Ourika, by Claire de Duras. It was about a black girl who was raised by Madame de B before the French Revolution had taken place. During this time period blacks were not given the right to live their lives the same as whites due to slavery. Ourika is the main character who when is born her family dies but is saved by the rich family whom she was raised by. Ourika was not considered a normal “negro” at the time because she could read and write but not only that her living conditions were never heard of to a black. This is the life Ourika had only known of until the day she overhears Mme de B’s. and marquise’s conversation. After Ourika hears the truth her whole life takes a turn for the worst because she realizes her race will hold her back forever. Even though her life was far better than the average black she was still in an form of entrapment, and still not able to do certain things. The second factor that shapes Ourika’s personality is when she sees Charles who is basically her little brother growing up. She grew to realize the factor the color of her skin played in the world and as her increasing desire for love continued it shaped her mindset and identity. Ourika’s life takes a turn after she hears these words, “the more seriously I think about it, the further away a solution seems. I see the poor girl alone, always alone in the world” (23). Ourika stated the effect those words had on her were indescribable, but thinking about it the effect in the end was death. Before hearing these words it could argue Ourika was the happiest person in the world the way she would talk about how much she loved her life. Ourika never had to worry about anything besides being entertainment when Mm de B. had her parties. . When she danced she got to show off her talents and represent her country Africa.