"Passing" in James Weldon Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man

Black No More and “The Negro Art Hokum” give important insight into how George Schulyer views race and identity, the importance of essences, and his stance on racial anti-essentialism. Black No More does clearly challenge Schulyer’s ideas in his essay that race in the way it is construed in the U.S. is not a meaningful essential part of who a person is because although our main protagonist Max Disher was able to be white in appearance thus being able to fit into white society, in essence he was still a black man and found his social kinship with members of Harlem’s black community. Essence makes a person who they are in conjunction with their physical racial attributes. In some cases who a character is on the inside does not always match up with their outward appearance, as in Black No More with Disher’s white skin and his black mentality.

Richard did not understand until later that the black community discouraged his rebellious ways because following the expectations of whites was a way to ensure survival of the community. A rebellious act of one black not only put his or her life in danger, but also his or her family and the entire black community. Richard’s need to conform to the rules of the white society for survival and his need to rebel in order to achieve his humanity and individuality was a tension that infested him daily.

“A great wave of humiliation and shame swept over me. Shame that I belonged to a race that could be so dealt with; and shame for my country, that it, the great example of democracy to the world, should be the only civilized, if not the only state on earth, where a human being would be burned alive.”(137) Because of that day, the narrator made a decision that he felt was best for him at the time, which was to let the world make their own perception of him. “I argued that to forsake one’s race to better one’s condition was no less worthy an action than to forsake one’s country for the same purpose. I finally made up my mind that I would neither disclaim the black race nor claim the white race; but that I would change my name, raise a mustache, and let the world take me for what it would; that it was not necessary for me to go about with the label of inferiority pasted across my forehead.” (139)

Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man is a story about an unnamed African American man trying to find a place for himself in white America. Throughout his life, he believes that his whole existence solely depends on recognition and approval of white people, which stems from him being taught to view whites as superior. The Invisible Man strives to correspond to the values and expectations of the dominate social group, but he is continuously unable to merge his socially imposed role as a black man with his internal concept of identity. In the end, he finally realizes that it is only up to himself to create his own identity without depending on the acceptance of whites, but on his own acceptance of himself. Invisible Man represents the critical

The novel The Garies and their Friends is a realistic examination of the complex psychology of blacks who try to assimilate through miscegenation and crossing the color barrier by “passing as white.” Frank J. Webb critiques why blacks cannot pass as being white through the characters Mr. Winston and Clarence Jr.

In the United States, there are only two types of people: white and coloured. The narrator struggles with self-identification and does not know whether to call himself white or coloured. In the beginning of the novel, the narrator assumes he is white and looks down upon the coloured children whom he attends school with. However his struggle with identification starts once he learns that he is classified as coloured solely for the reason that his mother is coloured as well. He stops teasing the coloured children, but he feels a “very strong aversion to being classed with them.” For the entirety of the novel, he resists the label “coloured” and tries to find ways to distinguish himself from the rest of his people he deems inferior. When in Paris, he was identified as neither coloured nor white, but simply as an American. He could roam Paris freely and enter any business he wanted due to being treated as equal. Paris was the first time he has ever ignored the color of his skin. Life in the United States is very different for the narrator however. The treatment of the narrator in the different towns he visits

essential to the reading of the narrator’s struggle with his own identity and how the black

In Passing, Nella Larsen deconstructs the idea of race related to skin color and challenges the dangers of “passing” into the white world as a black person. She tells the story of Irene Redfield, a reserved and methodical woman who coincidentally encounters her childhood friend, the fierce and seductive Clare Bellew. They both pass as white, but while Clare controls the situation to her own advantage, Irene unconsciously uses it to build and guarantee her security. In the essay “Passing: Race, Identification, and Desire,” Catherine Rottenberg explains how the “compelling race identification” creates a desire to assimilate whiteness, – while trying to remain true to blackness - which most likely is the origin of Irene’s fears. Meanwhile, in

Everyone wants to be accepted by their peers, especially if there are key differences between them. That acceptance can only be achieved in one of two ways; either the person has to change for their peers or their peers have to change for that person. Since James Weldon Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man is set in a tumultuous time of racism, the Ex-Colored Man only has one option and that is to change himself. However, Johnson’s novel forces the reader to question if changing who you are will actually make you happier.

He is forced to fight at this “battle royale” as he calls it, and with a mouthful of blood delivers his speech. As he is coughing on his own blood, he accidentally switches the words “social responsibility” with “social equality,” infuriating the white men there. He hastily insists it was a mistake, and after all of that, he receives a scholarship to go to a black college. He rushes home so proud, and stands in front of his grandfather’s portrait, feeling triumphant (Ellison, 30-33). He followed his grandfather’s advice of doing as he was told, but at that point has yet to realizes why that makes him a traitor. As he is faced with more challenges and more racism the narrator begins to understand why simply doing what is wanted of him to get ahead is traitorous. At his college, the President is a black man named Dr. Bledsoe. This man has used servility to get ahead in life, and when faced with the narrator, rather than attempting to help another black man succeed, he purposely squanders his chances of success. At this point, the narrator begins to understand what it means to be a traitor to your race. After being sent away from school and sabotaged by Dr. Bledsoe, his perspective on people, racism, and his own identity begins to shift.

Much like in today’s society, people have been blinded by racial stereotypes when confronted with differences and disagreements. These confrontations lead to hate and misunderstandings between those of different races or cultures. Even within the same culture there are differences that cause individuals to misjudge one another and discriminate against those who are like them. “Racist whites sarcastically project undesirable traits upon black bodies (Hsu).” Hsuan Hsu states that “as a result of such racial projections, blacks are susceptible to both the over-identification with white ideals which Ellison’s protagonist often feels and the counter-identification which fuels the racial nationalist crusade against any interaction whatsoever with whites (Hsu).” The words of the Invisible Man’s grandfather follow the protagonist throughout his life and serve as a reminded to him that he should not let the white men that tower over him control him. He believes that in order to survive without betraying his own race one must be underhanded in the way that they live their life. Due to conflicting ideals and frames of mind the Invisible Man is tossed about his life without proper direction. Unknowingly, the protagonist of this story is one that is taken advantage of easily due to his naivety and willingness to obey those that he perceives to be superior to him.

In a world where words and color have so much meaning and power, I’ve grown confused by the word “race” and the bizarre pigments it assigns. We’re called the human race, yet while we run together in the single race of life, we have split into teams: white, yellow, brown, black. My bewilderment fails to end there. Though his cheeks are ruddy and spotted with moles, my father is called white, and my mother, though pale as porcelain, is a yellow woman. As for me, I belong nowhere, hopping between my mother and father’s people, unwanted by either.

So, Mr. Griffin had a multistage process done on his body so that the pigment of his skin would appear darker. After many treatments of ultraviolet light and tablet pills, Mr. Griffin had become a black man. After Mr. Griffin’s transformation was complete, he immersed himself into the black community. Mr. Griffin was not prepared for what would happen to him once in the black life. While Mr. Griffin traveled to different places in the south he met numerous people, both black and white. Some people were friendly while others were quite hostile.

In the book, Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison, the story is told by a narrator, who struggles to understand his own identity. This is an indefatigable effort, despite he is a black man living in a racist American society. To understand his true identity, the narrator finds himself passing through a series of obstacles from being awarded a scholarship, being a member of The Brotherhood, or a member of Society in general. In each instance human nature sanctions a different idea of how blacks should behave in society. As the protagonist attempts to understand himself through the expectations and values imposed on him, in each case, he finds that his prescribed role limits his complexity, and forces him to play a synthetic and delusive part.

However, he truly believes that his humility in writing a speech about the importance of being humble as the ‘lower race’ has won him the chance to climb up to a better place. Surrounding the narrator’s appearance at this “smoker” are flickers of the sentiments he’s had to discard. His least favorite memory is hearing his grandfather’s last words: “Son, after I’m gone I want you to keep up the good fight… I want you to overcome ‘em with yeses, undermine ‘em with grins, agree ‘em to death and destruction, let ‘em swoller you till they vomit or bust wide open” (16). One would expect the narrator to hold on to this dream, that if black communities prove themselves to be good Christians, Americans, and everything else, they will eventually prevail over their oppressors. After all, he “visualized [him]self as a potential Booker T. Washington” (18). in those days. But because it directly states that white society is the enemy, none of the people close to the protagonist’s grandfather can accept it, and it only causes them fear. The night after he receives his scholarship, the narrator has a dream about his grandfather. The dead man hands him a briefcase, and tells him to open the endless series of envelopes. He grows tired, but when he reaches the innermost one, his grandfather tells him “’Them’s years… Now