Community is as vital as food and water. It offers human connection, a sense of identity and support. However, human nature leads individuals to seek experiences distinct from their community. In Alice Walker's story "Strong Horse Tea", Rannie goes further, rejecting her community in search of validation from another. She believes that the link with white society will only be made through the rejection of one's black identity. This belief leads her to distrust Sarah's medication. The postman, who gives the reader the perspective of white society, shows white culture's disinterest in Rannie's struggle. After the failure of white society, Rannie devotes herself entirely to black tradition, allowing Sarah to practice her medicine on Snooks. However, her initial resistance to her community destroys her chance of saving her child. The cultural divide makes Snooks' death inevitable. Through Rannie's struggle with community identity, Walker illustrates the consequences of cultural division. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned'? Get the original essay Rannie's rejection of Sarah's traditional medicine shows her unconscious desire to separate herself from the pain that stems from her black identity. By invalidating Sarah, as shown by her statement: "I don't believe in any of that swamp magic" (Walker 477), Rannie attempts to gain superiority over the rest of the black community. This desire for superiority stems from Rannie's internalized distrust of black tradition, brought on by the assertion of white culture's values ​​on his community. The flyers represent Rannie's shift of trust from her community to another. They represent wealth and the white way of life. His request for more flyers “to line the interior of his house to protect it from the wind” (Walker 478) highlights his belief that the white way of life has the capacity to save and protect it. The newspapers not only protect her from the cold of winter, but also fuel her hope that white society will recognize and alleviate her suffering. The postman who brings the circulars reveals the futility of this hope. The postman's changes in perspective reflect the discrepancy between Rannie's perception of herself and the white culture's perception of her. Rannie's question: "Who would ignore a sick little baby like my snooks?" ” (Walker 477) shows his belief that the denial of black culture will prove sufficient to gain the empathy of the white world. The postman, Rannie's delegate to white society, describes Rannie as looking "so pitiful, hanging there in the rain" (White 479), showing that the best white people have to offer the black community is pity. His choice to have Sarah heal Snooks instead of the white doctor reveals the inability of pity to inspire sacrifice. Pity instead of empathy shows the deep chasm between the two races, which leads to Rannie's total rejection by white society. Rannie's eventual acceptance of Sarah's medication establishes the need for community dependency. Sarah tells Rannie "I am the child doctor - that the postman went no further with this message than the road in front of my house" (Walker 480). Hearing this statement, Rannie's view of white society as his savior diminishes. Her acceptance of white apathy allows her to recognize “the time she had wasted waiting for the real doctor” (Walker 481). This realization highlights the severity of the divide between races. Masked by her hope of recognition from Whites.