The Veil In W. E. B. Du Bois The Wife Of His Youth
“…the Negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world…” (p887) this observation made by W.E.B Du Bois is a shared feeling in the separated community created by the color line. Other authors of his time also incorporated these same observations within their stories. In “The Wife of His Youth”, author Charles W. Chesnutt further supports the position of viewing the world through a veil by the story’s character Mr. Ryder. Mr. Ryder experiences the veil separation symptoms by ignoring his true identity, creating and battling through a double consciousness, and ultimately uncovering the veil, after realizing the fog in judgement it creates. The Blue Veins Society’s prestigious and pretentious appearance is built from superficial perspectives. Although Mr. Ryder is not as white as he desires, he is described by Chesnutt in a manner where “his appearance was such as to confer distinction upon them. His features were of a refined type, his hair was almost straight;
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he was always neatly dressed; his manners were irreproachable, and his morals above suspicion.” (p.707) His appearance and the club’s represents what a white community would approve as appropriate and qualifying. This membership is one of the walls that kept Mr. Ryder from finding his true self, and what allowed viewpoint in only one side of the veil. Although evidently an African American, Mr. Ryder and the Blue Veins appear to have created a new type of hybrid race. One that could not be appropriately compared to blacks, but could also not be misinterpreted as whites. During this point, Mr. Ryder views the world under the expectations of the white community or at least what the white community, in his mind, should appear as. Ignoring his true identity is one of the dilemmas we see explained in Dubois thoughts, where Mr. Ryder “…only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world.” (p887) Satirically, Blue Vein’s membership helped Mr. Ryder see the world from an outsider’s perspective, instead of within the veil; but the wife of his youth Liza Jane further complicated his viewpoints reminding him of the double consciousness existence. Hearing Liza Jane’s concerns of her lost husband “Oh no, he ain’ dead…wouldn’ make no diff’ence wid Sam. He wouln’ marry no yuther ‘ooman ‘tel he foun’ out ‘bout me. I knows it” (p. 711) increased confusion in Mr. Ryder as to what the correct action should be. His awareness at this point is not only with the white community as he seemed to hold, but now also with what the black community holds as righteous. Mr. Ryder is indeed black, but ironically just now demonstrating a black conscious. The differences in race have always been apparent to him, but thoughts of true self-actualization while resisting the white consciousness begin to generate. The battles of a double consciousness is another point made by Chesnutt and Dubois, where Mr. Ryder is aware of the troubles created by his “peculiar sensation… [His] sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others.” (p887) Eventually, we see the uncovering of the veil and the problematic fog it represents in Mr.
Ryder’s life after he decides to accept the wife of his youth. After asking “My friends, what would the man do? I will presume that he was one who loved honor, and tried to deal justly with all men” (p. 713), Mr. Ryder finds self-improvement without the shame in reference from another culture. His acceptance of his true self allowed him to unveil his true identity to those around him, and confront the blue-gums Liza Jane without a white perception or conscious. Mr. Ryder with this decision made a command in his own destiny, and instead of living within the veil pulled away from the alternative Dubois often sees where an African American measures “one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.” (pg887) To Mr. Ryder the veil was an inner struggle in self-actualization. A veil that created a blur from a clear picture of his true
identity.
he was always neatly dressed; his manners were irreproachable, and his morals above suspicion.” (p.707) His appearance and the club’s represents what a white community would approve as appropriate and qualifying. This membership is one of the walls that kept Mr. Ryder from finding his true self, and what allowed viewpoint in only one side of the veil. Although evidently an African American, Mr. Ryder and the Blue Veins appear to have created a new type of hybrid race. One that could not be appropriately compared to blacks, but could also not be misinterpreted as whites. During this point, Mr. Ryder views the world under the expectations of the white community or at least what the white community, in his mind, should appear as. Ignoring his true identity is one of the dilemmas we see explained in Dubois thoughts, where Mr. Ryder “…only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world.” (p887) Satirically, Blue Vein’s membership helped Mr. Ryder see the world from an outsider’s perspective, instead of within the veil; but the wife of his youth Liza Jane further complicated his viewpoints reminding him of the double consciousness existence. Hearing Liza Jane’s concerns of her lost husband “Oh no, he ain’ dead…wouldn’ make no diff’ence wid Sam. He wouln’ marry no yuther ‘ooman ‘tel he foun’ out ‘bout me. I knows it” (p. 711) increased confusion in Mr. Ryder as to what the correct action should be. His awareness at this point is not only with the white community as he seemed to hold, but now also with what the black community holds as righteous. Mr. Ryder is indeed black, but ironically just now demonstrating a black conscious. The differences in race have always been apparent to him, but thoughts of true self-actualization while resisting the white consciousness begin to generate. The battles of a double consciousness is another point made by Chesnutt and Dubois, where Mr. Ryder is aware of the troubles created by his “peculiar sensation… [His] sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others.” (p887) Eventually, we see the uncovering of the veil and the problematic fog it represents in Mr.
Ryder’s life after he decides to accept the wife of his youth. After asking “My friends, what would the man do? I will presume that he was one who loved honor, and tried to deal justly with all men” (p. 713), Mr. Ryder finds self-improvement without the shame in reference from another culture. His acceptance of his true self allowed him to unveil his true identity to those around him, and confront the blue-gums Liza Jane without a white perception or conscious. Mr. Ryder with this decision made a command in his own destiny, and instead of living within the veil pulled away from the alternative Dubois often sees where an African American measures “one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.” (pg887) To Mr. Ryder the veil was an inner struggle in self-actualization. A veil that created a blur from a clear picture of his true
identity.