Black Like Me is a work of non-fiction written by John Howard Griffin following his observations of white racism towards blacks in the Deep South of the 1950s. Griffin, a white journalist living in Mansfield, Texas, uses medication to darken his skin color and temporarily forfeits his privileged life as a Southern white man for the disenfranchised world of a jobless black man.
When Griffin first looks in the mirror following the darkening of his skin, he is horrified at the image that stares back at him. He feels that he has forever lost his identity and that he is now “imprisoned in the flesh of an utter stranger”, [and] one with whom he feels no kinship.” It is here that Griffin admits to his own racism, perhaps in the hope that readers will identify and begin to confront their own denial of prejudice. After recovering from the initial shock posed by such a dramatic change in appearance, Griffin realizes that he must, despite his current wishes, act like a Negro to minimize suspicion from the whites.
During his six weeks disguised as a black man, Griffin learns to deal with “the hate stare” by rightly convincing himself that he has done nothing to offend or hurt anyone, and that the disapproving looks he has been receiving are simply because of his color.
The author’s thesis is that the Negroes need to learn to …show more content…
The first person narrative makes sense because of the journalistic structure of the book. The author’s writing is extremely descriptive in order to lead the reader to an understanding of the unique experience he has had. He does not care to convince the reader to believe anything, but rather he strives to inform the reader of the plight of blacks in the Deep South in as accurate a manner as possible. He achieves this by writing, at times, from the viewpoint of three different people: a white man, a black man and a white man trapped in a black man’s
When Griffin first looks in the mirror following the darkening of his skin, he is horrified at the image that stares back at him. He feels that he has forever lost his identity and that he is now “imprisoned in the flesh of an utter stranger”, [and] one with whom he feels no kinship.” It is here that Griffin admits to his own racism, perhaps in the hope that readers will identify and begin to confront their own denial of prejudice. After recovering from the initial shock posed by such a dramatic change in appearance, Griffin realizes that he must, despite his current wishes, act like a Negro to minimize suspicion from the whites.
During his six weeks disguised as a black man, Griffin learns to deal with “the hate stare” by rightly convincing himself that he has done nothing to offend or hurt anyone, and that the disapproving looks he has been receiving are simply because of his color.
The author’s thesis is that the Negroes need to learn to …show more content…
The first person narrative makes sense because of the journalistic structure of the book. The author’s writing is extremely descriptive in order to lead the reader to an understanding of the unique experience he has had. He does not care to convince the reader to believe anything, but rather he strives to inform the reader of the plight of blacks in the Deep South in as accurate a manner as possible. He achieves this by writing, at times, from the viewpoint of three different people: a white man, a black man and a white man trapped in a black man’s