The Imposition of Self-Identity
Everybody’s self-identity is an establishment of imposition onto them by others to a certain degree. The stories in this collection demonstrate that the degree to which this is true is unnaturally greater among members of African-American society. Especially prominent through the four stories which follow the misadventures of young boys named Buster and Riley is the theme of how black self-identity is only very partially a construction of the self entirely by the self. This theme is perfectly symbolized in the story “Afternoon” in the juxtaposition of the use of dialogue to situate the cultural background of the boys with their identification with white baseball legend Lou Gehrig as an adopted persona while they play the game. The imposition of identity upon black society is thus revealed to more often be of a more subtle and sinister coercive nature than that of authoritarian enforcement.
Racism and Economics
The American Dream is a constructed fantasy which promises that with hard work comes success. Within that particularity, however, lies an element that doesn’t often receive the attention it should. Success is defied monetarily and thus the American Dream hints that the suggestion with financial stability and independence also arrives prestige and respect. Many of the stories in the collection present tales that immediately undermine the definitive aspect of the myth of the American Dream: in order for hard work to bring financial stability once must first be able to land a job that either pays well or affords opportunity for upward mobility.
These things are systematically denied to Ellison’s characters throughout as a general rule. Thus the hidden element of gaining respect and a sense of equality with white society is dependent up finding any possible means of clawing one’s way out of economic insecurity. “King of the Bingo Game” situates this realty metaphorically through the possibility of instant economic gain via gambling. The theme also touches upon professional sports as a means of bypassing systemic labor discrimination as well as the military option. Even when bringing financial independence, however, these avenues toward full enjoyment of the American Dream remain closed.
White Supremacy
Denials of systemic white supremacy in American society reveal an existential separation of the daily occurrences of living between white and black society. For most white Americans, the term “white supremacy” conjures up only images of hooded Klansman and fat, bearded rednecks wrapped in Confederate flags. White America’s version of their own supremacy is presented in the opening story of the lynching of a young black that is—notably—presented through the eyes of a young white boy.
The rest of stories in the collection start from this easily comprehended portrait of the ugly extremes of white supremacy outward to reveal a comprehensive—if certainly not complete—image of the difference in how white supremacy is seen through a black perspective. Black boys playing baseball and pretending to be Lou Gehrig is an example of white supremacy. The American educational system ignoring the story of Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution is an example of white supremacy. Segregation of soldiers fighting the exact same battle and facing the exact same threat of death is an example of white supremacy. And so it goes throughout the book.
