Othering – The Small Village

Othering, Crayon Paper, 24 X 11 inches Drawing Of A Small Village

This is a small crayon drawing of a village. Warm tones permeate the landscape and some of the buildings. Underground tunnels connect all the structures. The houses have no doors and no windows, they are huddled together for added safety.

Travelers seeking shelter from the blazing, scorching, sweltering sun will not find sanctuary nor a haven here among the silent dwellings. “Do not approach. You are an outsider; hence, you are always undesirable” said the house.

In this haunting crayon drawing, Ednah Sarah Schwartz uses the absence of doors and windows to create a sense of inaccessibility and isolation, emphasizing the psychological barriers that separate the village from the outside world. The warm tones that initially seem inviting take on a more oppressive quality under the weight of the blazing sun, amplifying the feeling of abandonment and rejection.

The underground tunnels suggest a hidden, secretive existence, where survival depends on retreating from both the environment and potential threats. The huddled houses, devoid of life, reflect an atmosphere of fear and mistrust, making the village feel like a fortress of exclusion. Through this imagery, Schwartz evokes the tension between safety and alienation, as the village appears to protect its inhabitants at the cost of their openness and humanity. The personification of the house, with its stern warning to outsiders, reinforces this sense of exclusion, highlighting the deep divisions between those who belong and those who are forever on the outside.