Essay on If He Hollers Let Him Go - 1529 Words

America has gone through many changes since its independence in 1776. However, as America was in the midst of its’ Second World War, it became obvious that one thing that had yet to be entirely solved, racial discrimination. In the novel, If He Hollers Let Him Go, Chester Himes creates a wide variety of characters that all have a different, but concrete, view point on race and racial discrimination. The novel is about Bob Jones, a black man, who moves to California during World War II because he is tired of the extensive racial discrimination in Ohio. Bob begins to work at Atlas shipyard, one of the many shipyards that are responsible for producing ships, which was crucial during the time of war. Bob eventually becomes a leaderman in the†¦show more content†¦Mrs. Harrison believes that black people have to earn the white people’s respect, trust, freedoms and equality. Mrs. Harrison says to Bob, â€Å"You mustn’t think in terms of trying to get even with them, you must accept whatever they do for you and try to prove yourself worthy to be entrusted with more† (52). She states that if black people work hard enough, the white people will reward them. She also wants the black community to wait for the white people to â€Å"give† them something better, to accept what the white people â€Å"do for them.† She compares the idea of black and white people equality to communism. She tells Bob that he needs to make himself worthy of respect. â€Å"You know yourself, Bob, a lot of our people are just not worthy, they just don’t deserve anymore than they’re getting† (52). These comments illustrate how class has a great influence on Mrs. Harrison’s point of view on race. Without having to work and being rich, she is ignorant of the racial discrimination that a day to day skilled worker of Bob’s color has to go through. Like her daughter Alice, Mrs. Harrison has been given special treatment b y the white people for her lighter skin, and her social and economic class. Alice is a very light skinned, black woman who could pass off as white without any makeup. She works as a supervisor of case work in city welfare. She came from the one of the richest Negro families on the West Coast. She is, in Bob’s mind,Show MoreRelatedEssay on If He Hollers Let Him Go2781 Words   |  12 Pagesï » ¿ Chester Himes’s If He Hollers Let Him Go provides a graphic window into the world of racism where his protagonist, Bob Jones, outlines personal dreams that serve as a framework to recreate the reality of the overwhelming prejudice prevalent in the 1940s. The novel unfolds over a course of four to five days, where each day begins with a nightmare encountering various forms of racism. Throughout each dream, Jones elicits scenes of violence, with each one escalating in visual description and immoralRead MoreAnalysis Of Chester Himess If He Hollers Let Him Go1268 Words   |  6 PagesIn Chester Himes’, If He Hollers Let Him Go the racial tension be tween blacks and whites was perfectly portrayed by protagonist Bob Jones and white counterpart, Madge. The relationship between the two was a great example of the advantage that was taken of African Americans in the United States before the Civil Rights Movement. Being friends with someone opposite of your race was frowned upon. With that in mind, for a white woman and a black man to be in a relationship was completely unacceptableRead MoreAnalysis Of Chester Himes s If He Hollers Let Him Go 965 Words   |  4 PagesIf He Hollers Let Him Go, a contemporary American novel published by Chester Himes in 1945, addresses multiple themes of racism and injustice during the World War II era throughout its pages, using the experience of a single black shipyard worker named Robert Jones. Jones awakes every morning in the wake of disturbing nightmares that center on his fears of the war, of racism, and of the thought that his own blackness might forever be the paramount obstacle in his searc h for total freedom. The protagonistRead MoreSummary Of An American Folk Tale By Americo Paredes1424 Words   |  6 Pagesthat of Chester Himes If He Hollers Let Him Go. Both stories deal with the issues of violence and racism, although in very different ways. 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