Before the Civil Rights movement of 1964, African Americans, among other minorities, were treated as inferior. Between 1877 and the mid-1960’s “Jim Crow” laws were enforced to keep blacks from interacting with whites. Jim Crow was more than a series of rigid anti-Black laws. It was a way of life. Under Jim Crow, African Americans were demoted to the status of second-class citizens. Whites were superior to Blacks in all-important ways, including intelligence, morality, and civilized behavior. Basic laws prohibited blacks and whites from eating in the same restaurants, riding in the same train car, even drinking from the same water fountain. There were separate accommodations everywhere, including restrooms, schools, libraries, hospitals, barbershops and movie theaters. In Georgia, retailers selling wine and beer were not allowed to serve to both races. They either served exclusively to colored people or exclusively to white people. African American etiquette prescribed that Blacks were introduced to Whites, never Whites to Blacks. When addressing white person, blacks were always to use courtesy titles, such as Mrs., Mr., and Sir. However, blacks were always called by their first name and were never allowed to be addressed with a title. (Pilgram) In two of African American Literature’s most famous novels, The Color Purple and A Lesson Before Dying, the characteristics of the pre-civil rights era in the south are prominent themes.
In The Color Purple by Alice Walker, a young black girl named Celie struggles to find her identity while overcoming the hardships of abuse, an unwanted marriage, and her relationship with God. Celie begins writing letters to God in hopes of understand why her life is the way it is. She is frequently sexually and physically abused and treated like a slave by her stepfather and later her husband. Towards the middle of the novel, Celie stops writing to God because nothing had changed. Celie claims it’s because even thought God gave her life, he also gave her a “lynching daddy, a crazy mama, a lowdown dog of a step pa, and a sister she probably won’t see again. “ (Walker 199) In her description of God to Shug, Celie explains that God is white man. Although there isn’t a lot of interaction between whites and blacks in the novel, Celie’s angst again God centers on the fact that she believes he’s a white man. During this time period, many African American’s blamed their problems on the oppression of the white man. When Celie found out that God was an old, white man, she said she lost interest in the Bible. (Walker 202) Tangible interaction between Blacks and Whites is more recognizable in Ernest Gaines’ novel, A Lesson Before Dying.
In Gaines’ novel, Grant, an educated black man is given the task of enlightening a black prisoner who was sentenced to death for a crime he didn’t commit. He was practically automatically convicted based on his race alone. Throughout the novel, the prisoner Jefferson is frequently referred to as a “hog” by the white characters. As previously mentioned, he is considered a second-class citizen. Also, being educated created problems for Grant, since he is not allowed to sound smarter than or disrespect a white man, he often has to “dumb him self down” in their presence. When asked by Mr. Guidry, a white man, how long he had been waiting for him, Grant answers “about two and a half hours, sir.” Immediately after, Grant realized that he should have simply said “not long” so he didn’t sound too intelligent. (Gaines 47) Later in the conversation, recognizing that Grant may be too smart for his own good, Mr. Guidry says he doesn’t like Grant’s intelligence. (Gaines 49) Not only does Grant teach at an all-black school within an all-black church, while shopping he is expected to buy items of “colored quality.” While attempting to buy a radio for Jefferson, Grant insists on buying a brand new one, much to the dismay of the white woman working behind the counter. Opposing his request, she is persistent on selling him a used one, based solely on the fact that he is African American. (Gaines 175-176) Although the two novels do not present all the issues present during the pre-civil rights era, both authors perfectly describe the significant trials and tribulations African American’s endured during the time period, just because of the color of their skin.
Works Cited
Gaines, Ernest J. A Lesson Before Dying. New York: Vintage Contemporaries, 1994. Print.
Pilgram, David. "What Was Jim Crow?" Museum of Racist Memorabilia. Ferris State University, Sept. 2000. Web. 25 Feb. 2010.
Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. New York: Pocket, 1985. Print.
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