Final answer:
The main idea of Cora's thought about Dr. Stevens' surgeries is that white individuals were metaphorically stealing the futures of black individuals, contributing to the systemic oppression and exploitation of the black community.
Step-by-step explanation:
The main idea of the statement regarding the surgeries that Dr. Stevens described, as Cora thought, is that through these surgeries, the futures of African Americans were being taken away by white individuals. This concept echoes a larger historical pattern of exploitation of black people by whites, particularly in the context of slavery and post-slavery America where whites exerted power and control over blacks' lives in ways that shaped and often limited their futures.
In the context provided, Dr. Stevens describes surgeries that involve stealing futures in their future. Cora thought that the whites were taking advantage of these surgeries to steal futures.The answer to the student's question is that Cora believed that whites were stealing futures through the surgeries described by Dr. Stevens. This suggests a metaphorical theft of potential and opportunity from the black community, not just a physical or immediate harm.