The abbreviating of Margaret's name in to Mary shows the degredation of Blacks by Whites. Mrs. Cullinan shortens Margaret's name since she believes she has all the rights to her. In history white slave holders has always been considered superior to their black servants. Mrs. Cullinan considers Margaret and the other black servant(Hallelujah)as her own properties whom she can call by any convenient names, but by this she is taking away their identity. However, this can only be explained in context of racism, since she would never change the name of a person with the same skin color or social status.