In The Blacker the Berry by Wallace Thurman, Emma Lou Morgan’s struggle to accept her skin color is a result of societal preference for lighter skin tones. By constantly being berated and pitied by both family and fellow students, the protagonist finds herself trying to compensate for her black skin by striving to be an educated woman who finds herself amongst the company of “the right sort of people” (Thurman, p. 50). As a result, Emma Lou is determined to distance herself from individuals of her skin color. It becomes apparent that Morgan is under the impression that if she surrounds herself with lighter skinned people she will not have to deal with the negative stigma associated with her black skin. Subsequently, she is adamant about making
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Although the protagonist does not voice the fact that because of individuals like Hazel her education is futile, she believes people will always associate her black skin with vulgarity. This is evident in the animosity Morgan holds toward Mason. She finds herself “perplexed, chagrined, thoroughly angry and disgusted” that the “black fool” is driving a “ridiculously unbecoming” Stutz roaster (Thurman, p. 44). Our female lead’s anger is furthered by Hazel’s “circus-like appearance,” which illustrates her frustration that negroes like Hazel, fail to mask the black skin like she herself has tried so hard to do. In Morgan’s mind the outside world looks upon her as another extension of the Negro stereotype, yet it becomes apparent that the association of her black skin with people of Hazel’s social status is primarily in her head. Upon leaving the parking space, Emma Lou catches glimpse of other colored students and claims “their laughter echoed in her ears” even though “she hadn’t actually heard it,” thus emphasizing amount of assumption our narrator provides (Thurman, p. 45). Yet the only reason Emma Lou is certain that the public is focused only on her black skin is because of society's focus on the amount of blackness an individual physically embodies. As a result, it is discernible that Emma Lou does not hate Hazel because she is of a lower class, but because Hazel is not trying to compensate for her
Although the protagonist does not voice the fact that because of individuals like Hazel her education is futile, she believes people will always associate her black skin with vulgarity. This is evident in the animosity Morgan holds toward Mason. She finds herself “perplexed, chagrined, thoroughly angry and disgusted” that the “black fool” is driving a “ridiculously unbecoming” Stutz roaster (Thurman, p. 44). Our female lead’s anger is furthered by Hazel’s “circus-like appearance,” which illustrates her frustration that negroes like Hazel, fail to mask the black skin like she herself has tried so hard to do. In Morgan’s mind the outside world looks upon her as another extension of the Negro stereotype, yet it becomes apparent that the association of her black skin with people of Hazel’s social status is primarily in her head. Upon leaving the parking space, Emma Lou catches glimpse of other colored students and claims “their laughter echoed in her ears” even though “she hadn’t actually heard it,” thus emphasizing amount of assumption our narrator provides (Thurman, p. 45). Yet the only reason Emma Lou is certain that the public is focused only on her black skin is because of society's focus on the amount of blackness an individual physically embodies. As a result, it is discernible that Emma Lou does not hate Hazel because she is of a lower class, but because Hazel is not trying to compensate for her