While walking on the street, the narrator witnesses a commotion; a black couple is being evicted from their apartment. The narrator feels terrible at the sight of the old woman hysterical over her Bible. From the time the narrator is fighting the battle royal scene to the riot, the narrator begins to transition into a new man who takes pride in his heritage.
The narrator’s determination of embracing his heritage rather than rejecting his black culture is shown when he is eating yams along the street. The narrator is ashamed when the waiter asks him if he wants to order the “special” (178). He questions himself, “Could everyone see that I was southern?” (178) and rejects the dish. While eating yams, “[he] walked along, munching the yam, just as suddenly overcome by an intense feeling of freedom” (264). Eating yams in public indicates he has overcome his shame as being identified as a southern black, which marks an important turning point in his quest for identity.
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| Harlem in the 1920's with a peaceful protest. |
Experiencing the eviction of the black couple alters the narrator’s perception of Harlem and raises his awareness of his social responsibility to the black community. No longer containing his frustration, the narrator speaks, “Black men! Brothers! Black Brothers! That’s not the way. We’re law-abiding” (275) when a white threatened to shoot. The narrator then becomes an activist dealing with equality within the black community. He prevents a violent riot from occurring by encouraging the blacks to “follow a leader and organize” (276).
Living in Harlem is nothing like the narrator imagines. He first views Harlem as a city of dreams, where black policemen can direct traffic and black girls can work at a store. Now, he just sees Harlem as another dismal, impoverished black neighborhood with differences within the communities.
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| Harlem today with many legendary locales attracting tourists such as the Apollo Theater, |
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ReplyDeleteThe scene where the narrator is eating the yams and finally feeling confident in his identity as a black man is my favorite! I love how you characterize this moment as "an important turning point in his quest for identity". Before, the narrator is ashamed of being black, and does everything in his power to erase himself of his race. He refuses to use slang and always tries to please the white people in his life. The setting is such an essential part of understanding why the narrator is finally able to accept himself. It is the city -- the soul food restaurants, sounds of jazz music, and racial freedom -- which allows the narrator to finally feel comfortable in his own beautiful black skin.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the narrator sees Harlem as an “impoverished black neighborhood with differences within the communities.” The narrator believes, through the Brotherhood, blacks and whites can work together to fight for equality. However, his disillusionment soon ends. He realizes the Brotherhood simply just used him, and it was all just an “absurd joke” (508). He will never be able to make a change in Harlem, and the differences between the races will always impact his life.
ReplyDeleteMoving to Harlem was a wake up call for the narrator. He was able to experience a new way of life and tried to hide all evidence of being a southern black man. The narrator was almost ashamed of his past. While in Harlem he finally realized he needs to be proud of his past and embrace his origin.
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