Themes In Black Like Me
John Howard Griffin: Black Like Me
Black Like Me, by John Howard Griffin, states the chilling truth of being a black man in the late 1950’s to the early 1960’s. John Howard Griffin is a white journalist who wants to know the real experience of being treated as a black person. Griffin transitions from a white man to a black man by darkening the pigment of his skin through medication. He walked, hitchhiked, and rode buses through Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi. As Griffin makes his way through the South, he experiences things that no human ever should. In the beginning of the novel, Griffin states that he believes the only way to know the truth is to become a black man in the South. John Howard Griffin explains, “The only way I could see to bridge the gap between us was to become a Negro. I decided I would do this.”(Griffin 7) This quote explains that Griffin wants to bridge the gap between white and black. By writing this it shows how far Griffin will go to make equality a reality. Griffin wanted to understand completely how it was being a black man in the South. The main idea of Black Like Me …show more content…
is the evilness of racism. Griffin writes, “All the courtesies in the world do not cover up the one vital and massive discourtesy—that the Negro is treated not even as a second-class citizen, but as a tenth-class one. His day-to-day living is a reminder of his inferior status. He does not become calloused to these things—the polite rebuffs when he seeks better employment; hearing himself referred to as nigger, coon, jigaboo; having to bypass available rest-room facilities or eating facilities to find one specified for him. Each new reminder strikes at the raw spot, deepens the wound.”(Griffin 48) This quote ties into the main idea of the novel by describing how black men feel when they are discriminated against and treated unfairly. Griffin explains that they do feel hurt when they are called those terrible things. Throughout the novel Griffin states numerous times that the whites don't like you because of the color of your skin, not because they don't like you personally.
“The Negro’s only salvation from complete despair lies in his belief, the old belief of his forefathers, that these things are not directed against him personally, but against his race, his pigmentation.”(Griffin 49) “They don't do it to you because you’re Johnny—they don’t even know you. They do it against your Negro-ness.”(Griffin 49) This has happened to me in a way. Someone hasn’t liked me because I was friends with someone they didn’t like. They didn’t know who I was; they just knew they didn’t like my friend so they didn’t like me. In the situation that happened to me, it wasn't extreme at all. They didn't prevent me from going places; they didn't call me mean names. They just didn't like
me. In the novel I liked how the author was sharing his own feelings, not only the feelings of the black people . I also liked how the author would give background information on different topics he would encounter. I wish he would have met more nice white Southerners.
Black Like Me, by John Howard Griffin, states the chilling truth of being a black man in the late 1950’s to the early 1960’s. John Howard Griffin is a white journalist who wants to know the real experience of being treated as a black person. Griffin transitions from a white man to a black man by darkening the pigment of his skin through medication. He walked, hitchhiked, and rode buses through Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi. As Griffin makes his way through the South, he experiences things that no human ever should. In the beginning of the novel, Griffin states that he believes the only way to know the truth is to become a black man in the South. John Howard Griffin explains, “The only way I could see to bridge the gap between us was to become a Negro. I decided I would do this.”(Griffin 7) This quote explains that Griffin wants to bridge the gap between white and black. By writing this it shows how far Griffin will go to make equality a reality. Griffin wanted to understand completely how it was being a black man in the South. The main idea of Black Like Me …show more content…
is the evilness of racism. Griffin writes, “All the courtesies in the world do not cover up the one vital and massive discourtesy—that the Negro is treated not even as a second-class citizen, but as a tenth-class one. His day-to-day living is a reminder of his inferior status. He does not become calloused to these things—the polite rebuffs when he seeks better employment; hearing himself referred to as nigger, coon, jigaboo; having to bypass available rest-room facilities or eating facilities to find one specified for him. Each new reminder strikes at the raw spot, deepens the wound.”(Griffin 48) This quote ties into the main idea of the novel by describing how black men feel when they are discriminated against and treated unfairly. Griffin explains that they do feel hurt when they are called those terrible things. Throughout the novel Griffin states numerous times that the whites don't like you because of the color of your skin, not because they don't like you personally.
“The Negro’s only salvation from complete despair lies in his belief, the old belief of his forefathers, that these things are not directed against him personally, but against his race, his pigmentation.”(Griffin 49) “They don't do it to you because you’re Johnny—they don’t even know you. They do it against your Negro-ness.”(Griffin 49) This has happened to me in a way. Someone hasn’t liked me because I was friends with someone they didn’t like. They didn’t know who I was; they just knew they didn’t like my friend so they didn’t like me. In the situation that happened to me, it wasn't extreme at all. They didn't prevent me from going places; they didn't call me mean names. They just didn't like
me. In the novel I liked how the author was sharing his own feelings, not only the feelings of the black people . I also liked how the author would give background information on different topics he would encounter. I wish he would have met more nice white Southerners.