Essay Questions

How does Jones Robert Jones pay for Madge’s racist behaviors?

Even though Madge is the racist character in this novel, it appears as if Robert is the one paying for her racist behavior. For instance, even though her racist slurs become the reason Robert loses his temper with her, she does not suffer any consequences but Robert is demoted. Additionally, she accuses him of raping her even though it is not true. Even so, no one believes him and he loses all hope seeing as his life is already ruined and he will end up in prison. Jones decides to murder the racist people so that even if he got arrested it would be for something that he had actually done. However, he is arrested before committing any murder. In a way, Madge essentially ruins the protagonist's life in this novel.

Explore the character of Madge as brought out in this novel.

Madge is a racist character. As a result of his racist behavior, Robert Jones loses his temper with her after which his life is never the same again. Additionally, the character is also exploitative and manipulative. For instance, when Robert goes over to apologize, she wants to use him for sex, and when he refuses, she later screams that she is being raped by him. In this way, Madge is also painted out as dishonest and inhumane with no consideration of other people’s feelings. Her inhumane behavior becomes the sole reason Robert loses hold of his life altogether.

How does the idea of having nothing to lose impact the clarity of Robert Jones’s decisions?

Robert Jones's troubles begin with Madge’s racist behaviors which lead him to lose his temper and is thus demoted from his job. When Jones meets an influential, lighter black woman, Harrison, she advises him to ask for forgiveness from the racist Madge and his employer. Jones realizes that Madge is interested in sexually exploiting him. Madge screams that she is being raped by Jones even though Jones was not doing anything of the sort. Seeing as he will eventually go to jail anyway for something he had not done, Jones decides to murder the racists as a result of a clouded judgment following having nothing to lose. He figures that since he will end up in jail anyway, it is better if he commits a crime. However, he is arrested before he sees his plan through. Having nothing to lose negatively affects Jones’s ability to make the right decisions.