Final answer:
Jamaica Kincaid's Mill Reef Club in 'A Small Place' represents lingering resentment and distrust from colonialism. Rebecca Harding Davis's 'Life in the Iron Mills' critiques industrialization’s environmental impact. The Klan and immigration reveal cultural challenges associated with urbanization.
Step-by-step explanation:
In A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid, the Mill Reef Club is critiqued as a representation of lingering resentment and distrust from colonialism. This sentiment is critical as the club symbolizes a legacy of the colonial era where social and economic divisions are maintained, and locals are marginalized in their own land. Kincaid addresses these themes by showcasing how such institutions perpetuate the inequalities rooted in Antigua's colonial past. Moreover, the club epitomizes the cultural gap between the tourists (often from former colonial powers) and the native Antiguans, highlighting the enduring effects of imperialism.
In Rebecca Harding Davis's Life in the Iron Mills, the critique predominantly targets the dehumanizing aspects of industrialization and the resultant environmental degradation. By illustrating the plight of the characters such as Hugh Wolfe, who is stifled both socially and creatively by his class and ethnic background, the narrative conveys a critique of modern society's disregard for nature. This approach not only criticizes the economic system but also foreshadows modern environmentalist concerns, despite predating the formal environmental justice movement.
Lastly, the fear and anxiety generated by the Ku Klux Klan and mass immigration are heavily tied to the process of urbanization. The analysis suggests a cultural challenge, as the growth of cities and immigration intensified the rural-urban divide, leading to different perceptions between rural and urban populations regarding cultural preservation and change.