It has been discussed that white people’s dicrimination towards black people is the cause of racial conflict. However, the story points out that the problem may be also caused by black people themselves. This idea has been revealed in Everything That Rises Must Converge as well.
Nat, the character, says he love black people: he is willing to be friend with them, employs them and even falls in love with a black woman. In his eyes, everyone is the same and should be treated equally. However, we can see how black people refuse to be friend with him, to deny his kindness and afraid to be closed with him. He tries to give, but without response.
At this time of my life I should have one or two good colored friends but the fault isn’t necessarily mine.If they knew what was in my heart towards them, but how can you tell that to anybody nowadays? I have tried more than once but the language of the heart either is a dead language or else nobody understands it the way you speak it. Very few. What I’m saying is, personally for me there is only one human color and that is the color of blood.
The story begins as Nat invites his cleaner who is black, to sit with him at the table to eat her breakfast. She obeys but after few miniutes, she goes to the bathroom and persists in eating inside. Why does she do so? It raises our curiosity and indicates the development of the story.
When Nat is young, he tries to make friend with a black boy. The boy’s father always gets drunk and flights with others, which indicates there are problems of violence, unemployment and alcohol involve in most of black people. However, no one would call policy to stop flight because cops will hit all the black people to death. The boy agrees to go for movies with Nat but refuses to be friend with him. At last, the boy hits Nat and called him Jew bastard. The boy may know Nat is good but hate him to be Jewish who they thought are evil.
My idea is to be friendly, only he never encouraged, he discouraged.
When he grows up, he meets a black woman who at first tries to avoid being close with Nat.
I don’t like white men trying to do me favors.
But they eventually fall in love. Love is without color and Nat loves her deeply. He doesn’t mind she is black but she minds. That is the problem: sometimes white people may never think about the difference of other races and may never look down upon them; but people who are colored regard tension and discrimination always exists between blacks and whites and they are the inferior ones.This misunderstanding prevents black people to be friend or love white people and hampers them to break the misfortune imposed on them. Actually they should be responsibile for part of their fate.
Nat loses his loved one who realises she is not strong enough to break the boundary and be loved by a white man. It seems black people themselves destroy the happiness they already have. The problems of racial tension is not as simple as just blaming on one party. It is right for black people to flight for their rights and it is true that they suffer a lot from discrimination; however, they should not give up their hope and seal themselves. Rather, they should learn to love and belove by white people; they should not feel they are different because of the color of the skin.
Available: summary of the story, information of the author.
Just My Simple Life 