Miscegenation as the central theme of literary works has not often been a subject welcomed by the whites in the United States of America. Many books were forbidden or faced harsh criticism for engaging in such controversial topics. Even innocent children story books, such as The Rabbits´ Wedding, where often the characters were animals only portraying a friendly relationship with animals of different colours were considered offensive (18). The reason lay with the society´s assumption that a message was being conveyed of a possible relationship between black and white individuals. As Sollors suggests, “stories of black-white sexual and family relations have run against various taboos.” (5).
The innocence of stories like The Rabbits´ Wedding, …show more content…
The Negro, in the mainstream view, was constructed as a base and somewhat stupid character, with a lot of physical presence and aptitudes but lacking in intellect. If we take into account the Blackface Minstrelsy Shows, for instance, then the theory of Brown gains some force. In the Minstrelsy Shows, which became very famous in The United States after the antebellum period, the black characters were often portrayed by whites who disguised themselves as blacks but acted in such way that they scoffed the characters they were playing. Black males were, as Keith Byerman notes, compared to “buffoon characters” …show more content…
Chesnutt. The main character, and his nearly white mulatto friends establish what they called “The Blue Vein Society”, which excludes individuals whom they considered to be too dark to “pass” for white. Does this mean that they are ashamed of their blackness, or does the means justifies the end? Is it the only escape possible? Answers to questions such as these are to be found in the injustice suffered by black people, the terrifying conditions and the suffering that go hand in hand with their skin colour. They are compelled to do so. Their struggle to “pass” for white is intrinsically connected with self-preservation. Survival is certainly behind their quest for whiteness, which seems an essential
The innocence of stories like The Rabbits´ Wedding, …show more content…
The Negro, in the mainstream view, was constructed as a base and somewhat stupid character, with a lot of physical presence and aptitudes but lacking in intellect. If we take into account the Blackface Minstrelsy Shows, for instance, then the theory of Brown gains some force. In the Minstrelsy Shows, which became very famous in The United States after the antebellum period, the black characters were often portrayed by whites who disguised themselves as blacks but acted in such way that they scoffed the characters they were playing. Black males were, as Keith Byerman notes, compared to “buffoon characters” …show more content…
Chesnutt. The main character, and his nearly white mulatto friends establish what they called “The Blue Vein Society”, which excludes individuals whom they considered to be too dark to “pass” for white. Does this mean that they are ashamed of their blackness, or does the means justifies the end? Is it the only escape possible? Answers to questions such as these are to be found in the injustice suffered by black people, the terrifying conditions and the suffering that go hand in hand with their skin colour. They are compelled to do so. Their struggle to “pass” for white is intrinsically connected with self-preservation. Survival is certainly behind their quest for whiteness, which seems an essential