Gunnar Kaufman, the main character of the novel, is an African American fictitious writer who has become famous from his literature. Selling over 126 million copies of his work, Watermelanin, he writes this collection of his life to show how thankful he is for where he ended up today. Most likely influenced by the author of the book himself, Paul Beatty, who also happens to be African American, Kaufman writes a series of memoirs about his younger life.
Kaufman's destiny was altered at a very young age, when his mother moved him and the family from the nice town of Santa Monica to Los Angeles. Without reading the novel, one might think that these changes were for the worse, but they were actually for the better. Originally, in Santa Monica, Kaufman was a sort of outcast, a bum going to school, and looked down upon as a person. However, when he moves to Los Angeles, he is able to "fit in" better.
Although this "fitting in" isn't always for the best, Kaufman tries hard to makes things in his life right. From the inclusion of chapter headings, which are simply numbers written in words, all lowercase, we can gather that Kaufman isn't the brightest in school. Also, stereotypical recurring swearing for someone his age adds to his personality. However, he has a passion - basketball - and that is what makes him such a lovable character.
Kaufman becomes a superstar in the basketball world, which never would have happened if he had stayed in Santa Monica. He also becomes a sort of "Messiah" for African Americans, and uses his influence to spread the word that African American discrimination is not warranted - mostly because most have not done anything wrong. Eventually, of course, Kaufman gets to be the writer that is writing this memoir, and the themes relevant within it.
