At the end of the post-Reconstruction era and in the wake of the Harlem Renaissance, comes the emergence of literary genius . Although it would be insulting to neglect the musical and artistic movements of the time, for the purposes of this article and its focus, the primary focus will be on literature. The literature of this era best puts the progression and perspective of the Negro into words and concepts understandable and appreciated by all. That is, unlike music and art, people who were not of color at that time were perhaps more inclined to understand the underlying concept of what it meant to be colored in reading the minds of men and women of color. To properly analyze the Post-Reconstruction and Harlem Renaissance periods, we must delve into the works of the revolutionaries of that era. This article will specifically reference James Weldon Johnson's Autobiography of a Former Colored Man to better understand this era and race relations as they were. To do this, themes of identity will be explored as well as the importance of music and place. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Originally published in 1912, Johnson wrote his novel anonymously, leading the public to believe that it was indeed an autobiography. This in itself makes the novel unique in that the audience believes they are experiencing the events through the lens of a distinct individual, thus facilitating reader empathy. However, despite this, the novel was not popular with the public until it was republished in 1927, during the Harlem Renaissance, to address race relations at a more acceptable time. The novel's underlying themes become palpable when the unnamed protagonist suddenly and devastatingly realizes that he is colored. Although somewhat more dramatic in modern times, during this period such awareness not only forces the protagonist to become enormously more attentive to his surroundings, but also sets him on the path to discovering self. It is quite easy to understand that at that time mixed race people were not necessarily common, especially in literature. This is another admirable attribute of Johnson's novel and should not be confused with the concept of miscegenation used in "The Octoroon." A work we studied at the beginning of the semester but is extremely different because the octoroon, Zoe, is less interested in race relations and more interested in life on a plantation (Boucicault). For this reason, we will refrain from comparing the two works. As any decent analysis begins, we will begin with the beginning of the ex-man of color's memoir, for it is these early chapters that define his descent into an identity crisis. In the first chapter we find the "former colored man" as a young boy who does not consider himself a colored man at all. In fact, he is completely unaware of his heritage since he hangs out exclusively with other white students with the exception of "Shiny". Even then, contact with students of color is kept to a minimum. It wasn't until one day when the principal asked all the white students to stand and were told to sit down that he realized his lineage. The response was so strong that he found himself in a trance-like state until he was able to ask his mother, “…am I a nigger?” (Johnson, page 11). The very use of this word illustrates his disconnect with those of color. However, it is at this stage that critics, such as David Burn, questionquestions the realism of the situation and its family tree (Burn). Even I wonder how it could have gone unnoticed that his mother was a woman of color, or how this type of relationship came about that resulted in his character having such a light complexion that he could be considered white without blinking. However, it is this event that causes a change not only in the content of the novel, but also in the narrative. It is at this point that the narrator becomes painfully aware of his peers and surroundings, to the point of paranoia. Despite his moments of clearly misinterpretation, there are times when we see that students of color see him as differently as he does himself. Noting that the narrator had previously and continually mentioned his affinity for literature, I must emphasize the importance of his fixation with Uncle Tom's Cabin. The allusion to this specific work hits a rather curious point as it is discussed. It is obvious that this inclusion was intentional on Johnson's part; however, it is of utmost importance that discussion of the novel's timeline be interrupted to discuss the importance of this featured work. It seemed that Johnson was not only drawing parallels with the narrator and Tom himself, but also defending the work as a whole. Even in modern times, Uncle Tom's Cabin is infamous for being portrayed as very misinterpreted and as an advocate of the subservient attitude of black people towards their white counterparts. Artists of the Harlem Renaissance, such as James Baldwin and Richard Wright, called for action and described Tom as a "complacent" Negro who receives privileges because of this dynamic. The novel allows Topsy, a slave who is adopted by Tom's owner's cousin, to freely use the n-word – the latter's sole purpose is to make the former socially acceptable. While discussing the negative connotations behind his use of the n-word, we as readers must recognize that although the same word is used later in Johnson's novel, the context is different. It's not until the narrator lives in New York that we see this word used again. However, the exchange takes place between two black men and is used in a positive rather than demeaning way. To give an example of this complacency, here is a quote that struck me: “'I look like wine in heaven, and isn't that where white people are wine? And I guess they would have me then? I prefer to go to torment and get away from Mas'r and Missis. I had done it” (Stowe, p. 216). In this quote we see a slave's desperate desire to adhere to the white man's will with the belief that this is the only way for a slave to get to heaven. It is essentially considered a novel that proposes the abandonment of one's blackness to better please one's white counterparts, and what's more, the adoption of white culture. Interestingly, the narrator states that he sees “who and what I was and what my country considered me; in fact, it gave me my direction” (Johnson, p. 27). But this very statement can also refer to the idea of ​​double consciousness, of “double personality”, a concept proposed by WEB Du Bois. To further prove Johnson's defense of Stowe, the narrator even goes so far as to state that he believes the novel was "a fair and truthful panorama of slavery" (p. 27). In his appreciation of the novel, the narrator seemed to form a strong connection with his black roots by examining a different perspective, whether positive or negative, of the Negro in America. This bond was strengthened by seeing upper-class men become established young gentlemen, especially Shiny's. The narrator has always admiredspecial for Shiny and his genius; this admiration continues to be expressed when the narrator hears Shiny's graduation speech. This sparks a powerful motivation in the narrator to bring “glory and honor to the black race” (p. 29). As he grew older and entered high school, he looked more closely at the works of people of color such as Frederick Douglass and Alexander Dumas. The novel soon takes a turn as the death of his mother causes a considerable change of pace and setting, moving from the North to the South, more specifically Atlanta University. It is at this point that the novel truly begins to reveal itself as a kind one. From the beginning, the novel was already unique in that it takes place from the point of view of a mixed-race person considered purely white. However, at this point the novel begins to shift to its most notable component in its description of several regions and countries. It's not only unique, but it's a particularly eye-opening experience for audiences, as race relations become so heavily overlapped as we are introduced to a plethora of environments with different climates regarding race. The narrator spent little time in college, although it is worth mentioning that he was exposed to a large population of students of color. This is the first time in the novel that he notices the diversity within the black community. Jacksonville is particularly interesting because the narrator finds himself thinking about race once again, although race in the South is seen as very different from that of the North. Furthermore, there seems to be a particular emphasis on social structure and wages. From an interview with Andrew Slap, associate professor of history at East Tennessee State University, we can better understand the narrator's point of view and his utter shock at this difference. According to Slap, “Reconstruction in the North was remarkably different from Reconstruction in the South. For the South, Reconstruction meant massive upheaval (including nearly four million African-American slaves becoming free citizens), an occupying army, and the need to rebuild an economy devastated by the armies fighting in the South for decades. years. In contrast, Reconstruction in the North was more about the opportunities created by the war, and these extended to the whole of Northern society. (Luskey). This explanation so skillfully given by Slap gives us insight into why the change between North and South was so palpable to the narrator. While economic struggles were observed by the narrator many times during his residence in the South, it was hardly a notable concept when he was in the North. While this may be because he is truly alone in the South, I would argue that the differences are too vast to challenge Slap's arguments. Other significant points at this time also included the attitude and outlook of black people towards their former masters. The narrator hardly touched it, if at all, during his stay in the South. I suspect this was due to the lack of connection to slavery our protagonist possessed. Indeed, it would seem quite inappropriate that the narrator, who could pass for white and barely had close ties to the black community, was able to emphasize the significant changes brought about by Reconstruction. In a Smithsonian article describing A Visiting from the Old Mistress and Sunday Morning in Virginia, two paintings were featured in their Reconstruction and Post-Reconstruction (Smithsonian) exhibitions. These paintings illustrate former slaves and their livesafter the war, the first illustrating the relationship between the former slave and the former slave owner. The Smithsonian authors explain that former slave owners were often upset when they realized their former slaves were not like the past, no matter how harmless they may have been in some cases. The novel also seems incapable of describing the results of explaining the experiences of those who were freed decades before. Despite this, the novel beautifully highlights the stark contrast between the North and the South economically and socially. Given the lens through which we are looking, these omissions are understandable due to both time shift and perspective. After the narrator's exodus from the South, the North is revisited as the narrator moves to New York. I can only compare his depiction of New York with works written during the Harlem Renaissance, a few years after Johnson's novel was published. This is not to diminish New York in post-modern works but rather to highlight the absence of black culture in most works of this era that resemble the narrator's feelings. During his stay in New York, the narrator is aware of the diversity and openness of black culture and music, particularly ragtime. One description of the setting in particular struck me as very different, as well as one we probably wouldn't have seen while he was in the South. While describing an upscale club run by Chinese, he illustrates the occupants as a mix of blacks and whites of a certain class. Additionally, he pointed out that "there were pictures of Frederick Douglass and Peter Jackson" (Johnson, p. 63). In this context, there is much more integration than we have seen before, and this integration is a kind of appreciation of black culture. This is the type of appreciation reminiscent of works of the coming period, such as "Theme for English B" and "To New York". The first poem, written by Langston Hughes, shows that although the gap between races still exists, it is recognized that they are one race. In Hughes' poem, written through the perspective of a young student of color. Although the American climate has been discussed in depth at this point in both the novel and this article, I believe the most fascinating and captivating part of the novel comes when The narrator embarks on an adventure in Europe with a fellow millionaire. This section by reintroducing the narrator's passion for music, particularly ragtime in Europe, also enters into an entirely new concept. To my knowledge, during this period, no other novel had posed the racial question in a European or foreign environment. The narrator falls in love with parts of Europe, notably Paris and the Netherlands, and discovers that he is able to express himself freely through music. The narrator used ragtime music, a genre that originated in the black community around 1895. Although it is identified in America as typically black, the novel states that while in Europe it was considered simply American, suppressing the origins racial and uniting the idea of ​​one America. Although the narrator explained a few instances where race was discussed, there was only one instance in which it made him uncomfortable. A companion he had met and originally from Luxembourg “asked me in a tone of voice which indicated that he expected an authoritarian denial of a nasty rumor: “Did they really burn a man alive in the States?” -United? » » (Johnson, p. 82). ). There are two interesting points in this exchange, one being that the Europeans seemed genuinely shocked that an atrocity..