For my second blog I wanted to comment on how I was shocked on the ending of the book "The Autobiography of an Ex Colored Man." I was surprised to find Johnson marry. He seemed almost too shy in the book to even talk to women. I also thought that by marrying a white woman he was giving into society's rules. I assumed if he would marry he would marry either someone just like him self in trying to "pass" or he would marry a black woman.
The reason I thought he would marry a black woman is because his mother was black. She was the only woman in his life for so long, she was the only woman that really mattered. I thought that he would try to marry a woman just like her.
The only reason he isn't marrying again is because he could not face the truth that he is what he is. If he keeps is all bottled up nobody will know about his past. His children look and have the features of their mother. The one question that I have is did he ever tell his children that they have "black" blood in them, or did he find it too life altering?
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I was also shocked to read he got married but it didn't surprise me that she was white. I agree with you that he would want to marry a woman like his mother but I wouldn't automatically assume she would have to be black. I would think he is more into marring a woman with the personality of his mother regardless of her skin color.
I totally agree with you on this. He kind of dropped that info on us all of a sudden. Definitely a surprise giving his obvious discomfort with communicating with women.
I was equally as shocked with the ending of the book. With little to no communication or interaction with women throughout the book, I was not expecting him to get married. I really didn’t even contemplate it. So when you said in your post that you thought he would “try to marry a woman just like her”, I completely agreed. His mother is the only woman in the book that he showed any high regard and admiration for. I suppose though in a way he did marry a woman “just like her”. His mom was very dignified, and was portrayed as abiding and respecting societies ways. And the women he married I think was the same way. I think that is why she “fled” when he finally confessed that he was black. I think she was completely in love with him also, but she wanted to be “proper” and marrying a black man was just not the way. Then when she finally did meet back up with him and sit next to him at the piano and confess her true love to hime, I think that she just needed time to figure it out and keep her personal dignity and view of societal mores at the same time.
I was also surprised to read that the narrator got married. I think the reason why he married a white women was the same reason why he decided to pass as a white man. I think during this time, it was the easiest way out, of a bad situation. I think if he decided to marry a black women, he would only have to fight more because of their inter-racial marriage. I think he was always trying to find the easy way out and what would keep him safe. Therefore, marrying a white women would allow him to live the life of the dominating white culture without much fight.
I must say the end of your blog was very interesting. I was thinking the same way you were as far as if his children know if they have black blood in them. I feel like they don't know. I think if it was so hard for him to tell the woman that he loved & married it would be just as hard if not harder to tell his children. I think he figured it would be easier to just let them pass for white even though they don't know that they are passing. I feel as if the narrator is thinking that he is helping his children by not telling him, but I'm not so sure if he is. I guess I really have mixed feelings about his choices towards the end of the book.
I think at the end of the book it is sad the predicament that he is in. But I did feel better for him at the point where he fell in love with the white woman. I think he wanted to be all white but never quite said it. he seemed ashamed the black part of him due to all the stigmas attached to the black race at that time period. he looked white so definetly should have considered himself white and not doubted it. It is sad that he didnt have a better relationship with his father because just now i have thought about it and realized that this is what caused him so much turmoil throughout his life. I think the reason that he wanted to identify with the black part of himself so bad was that he didnt trust the white part of himself? Why did his father leave him? He was torn because his life was torn at an early age. His mother great but as an american as well as a black or white, maybe just as a human in general, it is that we usually yearn for what we dont have and seem to underappreciate what we do have unless we really take the time or some else takes the time to make us realize. Ive gone so much into skin color here... He was simply in love with the woman he fell in love with. maybe he was more attracted to her because she was white. whatever the case he was happy with her and maybe his sense of emptiness stemmed more from not having a father and losing his life than from what is thought of him not living up to his own self expectations...
losing his wife*
Ah!! You raised so many of the questions that I was thinking about in the conclusion of the novel. First of all, regarding his marriage -- I never thought that that would happen, period. Additionally, after reading the section where his future wife spends the summer holiday away from the narrator, I had doubts that he would ever see her again. So far, all of the women in his life have left him, and I was waiting for this woman to leave him too. When she didn't, and they ended up getting married, I again predicted some kind of problem, which occurred when she died during childbirth. I feel like the narrator never really got the chance to experience a meaningful relationship with anyone but his mother (and possibly the millionaire), and this is just one more disappointment in hus unfulfilling life. However, now that he has children to whom he claims he is willing to devote his life, maybe there is still hope for our narrator to experience love and familial closeness.
I was surprised at the ending as well...but I'm not that surprised that she was white. We talked in class alot about the overall decision he had made to go back up North and "give up on his dreams". We also said though that he would just go as people see him so he would pass if people saw him as white. Maybe she saw him as that...obviously until he told her. But you make a good point about marrying someone like his mother. Like Sarah said, maybe his wife had the same personality as his mother. I want to know if he told his kids too. Is that something he just decided to kep from them so they didnt have to go through the confusion like he did??
That is a good question. I thought of that as well when I read about it. It seems so sad to be embarrassed by your roots and sad also to never know about them
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