Summary

The short story “The First Day” by Edward P. Jones begins with the narrator getting ready for her first day of school. Her mother dresses her in new clothes, does her hair, and puts perfume behind her ears. 

The narrator’s mother wants her to attend Seaton Elementary School, which is across the street from Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, where she goes every Sunday. However, as the narrator and her mother do not live in the area served by Seaton, they get turned away. The narrator’s mother tries to argue that she wants to send her daughter to Seaton, but she is unsuccessful.

The narrator’s mother then takes the narrator to Walker-Jones school, which is larger and more crowded. She needs to ask another parent’s help to fill in the required form because she cannot read or write. The little girl whose mother she asks for help stares at her, and the narrator stares back. The narrator’s mother shows all the documents she believes might be needed and provides all the required information. After the form is filled in, she gives the woman 50 cents, which the woman accepts. 

A teacher arrives to take the narrator to her classroom. The mother says goodbye to the narrator, instructing her to wait for her after classes are finished, and to listen to every word the teacher says. The narrator notices her mother’s darned socks for the first time. As her mother leaves, the narrator hears her loud retreating footsteps, even over the singing and talking of the other children.