Arike Jacobs
The Marrow of Tradition: Lynching and “Justice”
When discussing American history it is near impossible to ignore the centuries of racial tension. The Marrow of Tradition by Charles W. Chesnutt exposes the social pathology of the American South that has normalized the brutalization of black bodies. Chesnutt writes of various lives both black and white in the events that lead up to a race riot similar to the Wilmington Massacre of 1898. By fictionalizing such an event he is able to include descriptions of the human psychology at such a time. He is not only concerned with the physical violence against black bodies but the systems of justice that allow for such violence to take place. The novel’s very title The Marrow of Tradition is a metaphoric suggestion of the notion that it is in the bones and …show more content…
He is able to create a white allies who are necessary to show how wrong “justice” can be in the present system. These white men are individuals who fit into the society like Old Delamare who has lived through slavery and of whom Sandy is a generational servant and Ellis who initially is in the room and attests to seeing Sandy leaving Mrs. Ochiltree’s home late.
The older Mr. Delamare goes to the jailhouse to find evidence to clear Sandy’s name and in doing so he is faced with a sheriff who hesitates to let him in to the jail to speak with his servant while allowing lynching preparations to occur right outside of the jailhouse. The sheriff also claims “if the prisoner is taken from me, it will be because the force that comes for him is too strong for resistance” suggesting that he would turn a blind eye and not percute those of a lynch mob if they take Sandy from him for they represent a force too strong for resistance-i.e. White supremacy
The Marrow of Tradition: Lynching and “Justice”
When discussing American history it is near impossible to ignore the centuries of racial tension. The Marrow of Tradition by Charles W. Chesnutt exposes the social pathology of the American South that has normalized the brutalization of black bodies. Chesnutt writes of various lives both black and white in the events that lead up to a race riot similar to the Wilmington Massacre of 1898. By fictionalizing such an event he is able to include descriptions of the human psychology at such a time. He is not only concerned with the physical violence against black bodies but the systems of justice that allow for such violence to take place. The novel’s very title The Marrow of Tradition is a metaphoric suggestion of the notion that it is in the bones and …show more content…
He is able to create a white allies who are necessary to show how wrong “justice” can be in the present system. These white men are individuals who fit into the society like Old Delamare who has lived through slavery and of whom Sandy is a generational servant and Ellis who initially is in the room and attests to seeing Sandy leaving Mrs. Ochiltree’s home late.
The older Mr. Delamare goes to the jailhouse to find evidence to clear Sandy’s name and in doing so he is faced with a sheriff who hesitates to let him in to the jail to speak with his servant while allowing lynching preparations to occur right outside of the jailhouse. The sheriff also claims “if the prisoner is taken from me, it will be because the force that comes for him is too strong for resistance” suggesting that he would turn a blind eye and not percute those of a lynch mob if they take Sandy from him for they represent a force too strong for resistance-i.e. White supremacy