Black Man as Object of Fear and Symbol of Violence - Book Report/Review Example

Black Man as Object of Fear and Symbol of Violence: A Comparative Analysis of "Big Black Good Man" by Richard Wright and "Like a Winding Sheet" by Ann Petry The short stories "Big Black Good Man" by Richard Wright and "Like a Winding Sheet" by Ann Petry explicitly show the prejudice on the blacks by the whites. These stories show that for a white person, a black man is usually associated with violence and fear. Discrimination is manifested in the character, the point of view, and the theme. Both Wright and Petry are black writers and they are contemporaries. Though they do not share the same convictions and causes, their stories reveal similar experiences of discrimination and injustice. Ann Lane Petry is an African-American writer of adult novels and children's literature "who chronicled the urban Black female experience" (Hine, 1993). Her works include "the simple reminder that black men and women have formed an integral part of American history:" She says that her characters are epitomes of real people: "Look at them and remember them. Remember for what a long, long time black people have been in this country, have been a part of America: a sturdy, indestructible, wonderful part of America, woven into its heart and into its soul" (http://authors.aalbc.com/annpetry.htm). She admits, in her very own words, that when she writes her fiction she purposely transmits and emphasizes the message of black identity and significance. On the other hand, Richard Wright is an African-American writer who possesses superb quality of writing. He joined the Communist Party but later on broke with it because the Party limits his writing. According to scholars, "his most significant contribution was his desire to accurately portray blacks to white readers, thereby destroying the white myth of the patient, humorous, subservient black man" (Williams and Sterling, 1970). Wright also intentionally carries through the message that blacks are normal beings and they are equally capable of living and leading like their white counterparts. The Black Man In "Like a Winding Sheet," the black man is seen by the white women as a threat who is capable of great violence and so he is treated with disrespect. The main character, a black man named Johnson, is a worker in a factory headed by a white woman. He finds it funny to have a white woman for a boss. However, one day he finds her boss no longer funny but she becomes an object of his intense anger after she labels him in the most derogatory way, "And the niggers is the worst. I don't care what's wrong with your legs. You get in here on time. I'm sick of you niggers---" (127). Calling Johnson a "nigger" is a careless act of insult and disrespect to the black man's value as a person. The effect on Johnson is so intense that he almost could have hit the lady foreman right there and then if not for his principle that it is not proper for men to hit women. He is able to control his fist from landing on the foreman's face but his anger within him mounts all the more as he visualizes his boss' face. The black man's facial expression is evident that the foreman is frightened such that she dismisses the black man right away and admits her carelessness. Even if there is no physical contact, the black man's expression is enough to make the white woman so frightened that she perspires and pales. In this case, the black man is aware of his effect on the white woman. In addition, at the coffee urn, the white lady ignores the black man and refuses to serve him. The white lady's actions of flipping her hair and ignoring him convey an added derogatory impact on Johnson. It is obvious that for the white lady, the black man is not worth her respect and attention. Although she may not show any form of fear, she is affected by his presence. The way she flips her hair is not an innocent act for it shows her nervousness and discomfort at the sight of a black man. Although, Johnson believes that it is wrong to hit a woman, the rage that accompanies him home finally finds its victim. Johnson seems to be possessed by some force that he hits his wife uncontrollably several times, possibly killing her, because she suddenly irritates him. Mae, a black like him, the one he truly loves, becomes the helpless and innocent object of his fury. The black man's action is a result of the successive insults he receives from the white women. He destroys himself with his negative reaction to the whites' insults; he destroys his home, his wife and his very life. Such severe damage has occurred because some whites have shamed and abased a poor black man. Here, the black man becomes a victim of his own negative reaction. In this story, the black man is shown to be capable of intense anger and domestic violence because he has been insulted and maltreated by white women in his workplace and on his way home. Violence is justified in the sense that it is only a reaction to the insults Johnson experiences in the presence of the whites. This reaction to successive insults is just natural for humans both black and white therefore the readers are informed that black people are not only the ones capable of violence but whites as well; that violence is a normal reaction to insults and maltreatment. Wright's story, on the other hand, shows the big black man as the object of Olaf Jenson's unfounded hate and disgust. Jenson simply hates the black man's size, confidence and very presence in the hotel where he works as a porter, "There was something about the man's intense blackness that frightened and insulted Olaf, he felt as though this man had come here expressly to remind him how puny, how tiny, and how weak and how white he was" (11). In this story, the black man does not do anything wrong nor does he indicate any negative plan, however, the porter simply hates him and does not want to serve him. Jenson's fear of the black man seems to have controlled him that he acts against his will. He acknowledges that his prejudice is irrational but it is apparent in this text that this white man associates the big black man to violence. He always thinks that the black man can kill him especially when the black man puts his hand around his neck. It is only after a year when Jenson understands the gesture that the black man is actually just measuring the size of his neck so that he can find the right size of shirt that fits him. It appears that this prejudice is obviously planted in the mind of the white man through the years. The very reason why he immediately feels antagonism against his new client is the color of his skin. Jenson thinks that he could have served a man with brown skin willingly, but not this black one. In this story, the big black man is actually a good man who does not do or intend to do any form of hostility or harm, but the white man sees all black men to be fierce. This fear is intensified by the bigness and blackness of the client. Wright has portrayed a black man who is unfairly judged because of his color that is intensified by his size and confidence. By letting the reader into the white man's perceptions and thoughts, the story reveals that most often a white man's fear about the black man's violent actions is often imaginary and unfounded. Both stories show that the whites generally connect the blacks with violence thus treating them with disrespect and fear. The Point of View Petry and Wright vary in their presentation of narration. Though both stories are presented in the third person omniscient point of view, Petry uses the black man's point of view while Wright focuses on the white man's. These two applications are equally effective. By using the black man's point of view, the reader is led to know and experience the struggles that a black man encounters in his daily exposure to the white-dominated world. This makes the readers understand why some black men may react to the point of being violent and harsh. On the other hand, making use of a white man's point of view balances the scene. Through the eyes of a white man, the blacks are potential threats to their lives. He sees them as individuals capable of killing and harming him. It never occurs to Jenson's mind that the black man is capable of doing good too. Wright effectively illumines the minds of the readers that the prejudices that people have against each other are often unfounded and even unhealthy. Jenson is an old man and he has been exposed to different types of people but it is only in this encounter with the big black man that his deep-seated discrimination of dark-skinned individuals has been changed. The Theme These two black writers both deal with the perennial problem of racial discrimination. Petry shows the reasons why black men can become violent while Wright proves that the white man's prejudice on the blacks is often irrational and unfounded. While Petry justifies the blacks' violent reactions, Wright reveals the fact that black men are good people too. They are not inherently harmful, they are only forced by the insults and discrimination they experience to retaliate and to fight back "a tooth for a tooth" and "an eye for an eye." Conclusion Sometimes it is wise for a person to be in another's shoes in order to know and understand that what he/she does often affects the core of the other person's being. The issue of racial discrimination has, for a long time, been discussed, debated on, tried to be solved and eliminated but it continues to run in the human system and relationships. Anne Petry and Richard Wright are only two of the many advocates of racial equality and justice. When will this problem be totally solved Only the future knows. Until there are people who stand and fight for their rights, there is hope that racial discrimination will one day be overcome. Works Cited Ann Petry. 10 April 2008. Hine, Darlene Clark. Black Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia, Vols. 1 and 2. Brooklyn, New York: Carlson Publishing Inc., 1993. James P. Draper. Black Literature Criticism Supplement: Excerpts from Criticism of the Most Significant Works of Black Authors over the Past 200 Years (Black Literature Criticism. Gale Cengage, 1998. Pavlovski, Linda; et al. (Editors). Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism, Vol. 112. Gale Group Inc.; Farmington Hills; MI, Thomson Learning, 2002. Purdue OWL. "MLA Formatting and Style Guide." The Online Writing Lab at Purdue. 12 April 2008. Purdue University Writing Lab. 12 April 2008. . Williams, John A., and Dorothy Sterling. The Most Native of Sons: A Biography of Richard Wright. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1970. Wilson, Kathleen (Editor). Short Stories for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context & Criticism on Commonly Studied Short Stories, Vol. 2. Gale Cengage, 1997. Read More