Black Skin as Symbol of Class Alienation
By darkening his skin so as to pass as African-American, Griffin experiences for himself the reality of racist behaviors in the United States. His darkened skin is symbolic of second-class citizenship. He is regarded alternately with suspicion, mistrust, or a patronizing attitude based solely on melanin.
Baldness as Symbol of Virility
Because his hair is too straight to pass convincingly as African-American, Griffin shaves it off and remains bald throughout his travels. He is surprised to note that many of the African-American people he meets regard him as being "highly sexed" because of his baldness.
Food Sharing as Symbol of Solidarity
Throughout the book Griffin is struck by the kindness of strangers, because many of the African-American people he meets go out of their way to help him or host him. When a poor African-American family invites Griffin to stay with them for the evening, there is almost no food in the house but they share what they have, refusing any form of payment. Griffin contributes the candy bar he has with him, which the lady of the house cuts up so that everybody can share it.
Interracial Relationship Motif
Griffin's wife, who is just as white as he is, does not accompany him on his trip. Yet because he could put himself in serious physical danger by admitting that his wife is white, yet he has also resolved to not actually lie to anybody, he has to find creative ways to make sure nobody finds out about his "interracial" marriage.
One of the primary sources of antagonism between Griffin and other people comes from the white men who frequently question him about sex, his sexual experiences, and most particularly his experiences with white women. This occurs primarily when he is looking for a ride after dark, when contrary to his expectations he finds it easy to flag down rides from white men who are interested in verbal pornography. For the drivers, no question is too personal or too intimate. Compared to what some of the drivers would like to hear, Griffin's monogamous married life is extremely boring.
Accent as Symbol of Class
In the United States, there are several dialects of English and various accents, some of which are regarded as universally "Black" or "African-American". Some speech sounds, such as a northeastern twang, are associated with privilege and education. Griffin is unable to hide his accent, and as a result a few of the people he meets identify him as being from farther north, and being educated. His "fellow" African-Americans tend to be more observant that way.
Although Griffin expects his true racial identity to be given away by his accent and patterns of speech, he finds that people believe their eyes more than they do their ears.
