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Life of a Mullato

Life of a Mullato In Society, there has been one common way through which an individual can differentiate himself and that is race/color. Consequently, once a person's color is determined, it seems a class structure is established, a structure that not only describes the individual's social, political, but also their economic standards. Throughout most of nineteenth century literature that we have read it's apparent, the class structure consisted of whites and blacks. Much of the literary works of the time stressed that to be black meant being despised and discriminated against by the white population. Moreover, the literature such as Our Nig portrayed whites as domineering and superior as they essentially controlled many black people's lives (slaves). However, authors like Harriet Wilson, Wallace Thurman brought into picture the emergence of another race that did not belong to either black of white race, which were the mulattoes. These authors in their work discuss the struggles and the intra racism faced by the mulattoes that are the offspring's of black and white parents. Moreover, even categorizing these people as mulatto has a hidden racist assumption to begin with. This is because the very word "mulatto" carries this animal connotation; it comes from the Spanish for "little mule." As a result, referring to these individuals in animal terms is usually not socially acceptable. If mulattos are animals, then by implication, so are blacks. Perceiving nonwhites as less than human is the result of the close connection with the Christian beliefs and thus the negative view of the society towards blacks and mulattoes. This impartial distinction of mulattoes foretells the various problems and prejudices that were experienced by mulattoes. It was not till later part of century, when authors like Harriet Wilson that recognized and wrote about people with mixed blood by providing insight through careful analysis and their character development. After a thorough analysis of the racial identity of a mulatto, and a look at the lives of mulatto characters in works by Charles W. Chesnutt, Harriet Wilson and Wallace Thurman an understanding of what it means to be mulatto can be realized. In the works we discussed, a mulatto was usually the offspring of a black woman and a white man; however, the key to comprehending the racial identity of a mulatto is much more deeper. A mulatto is constantly faced with the difficult task of struggling between two races that in the past have been in conflict with each other. In addition, they are faced with mixed feelings from the fellow pure bread black members. For example, in Blacker the Berry, Emma character, a mulatto encounter constant resentment and possible envy by not only blacks because of her lighter skin tone, but also from white peers. Even in present society, this is a reality of which many non-blacks are unaware, and which most blacks would prefer to overlook, rather than resolve. It was these revelations that authors like Chesnutt, Wilson, and Thurman attempted to bring insight on. Charles W. Chesnutt was born in Cleveland in 1858, to free parents of mixed racial heritage, and raised in Fayetteville, N.C. His youth in North Carolina as a mulatto was very influential in most of his works. Chesnutt absorbed the dialects and folktales of the region and observed the influence of one's color on how society views the person. In addition, as a light skinned Negro, he was able to experience the moral implication of living in white society. Although Chesnutt describes mulatto life in most of his novels, he concentrates on hardships and social relationships of mulattoes in The House Behind the Cedars. The House Behind the Cedars deals with a mulatto, John Walden, who passes for white person and becomes a successful lawyer in South Carolina, as he believes he can never achieve this status as a mulatto. Next, Walden arranges for his sister Rena to come to South Carolina as well, believing that she would be successful in masking her true identity as a mulatto in white society. Shortly after moving there, she falls in love with a "North Carolina gentleman" named George Tyron. However, Tyron eventually reveals Rena's as a mulatto and cancels their upcoming wedding. After this incident, Rena decides to become a nun in North Carolina and spends her life relinquishing the pain she suffered from the white society and trying to improve the way blacks were perceived in society. It is ironic, that for John to have an "identity" in the novel, he has to act as a white man, but it is another white man that eventually led to the death of his sister. On the other hand of mulatto color spectrum was the character of Frado, in Our Nig. In the Mid-Nineteen Century was a period of conflicts and battles for black people. Although the government had approved the freedom of slaves in the North, there was still discriminatory treatment towards the colored people. In the autobiographical novel, Our Nig, the author Harriet Wilson, depicts her experiences as a free slave through the character of Frado in her novel and reveals the power of skin color over the laws of society. Moreover, through Frado eyes, Wilson describes the way she was subjected to cruel treatments under white's mastery (Mrs. Belmont), and in the way she reacted towards racism. In order to understand the suffering in a life of a mulatto, Wilson shows how Frado suffered discrimination at school when nobody wanted to play with her just because she was a "nigger." Furthermore, Mrs. Belmont wanted to limit her knowledge in religion because "religion was not meant for niggers"(68). Nevertheless, these words did not stop Frado as she learned how to read, write, and understand God's words even if it meant troubles and punishments for her. Also, even though being a part of family, mulatto (Frado) was not treated equally as she was imposed to work from dawn until dusk in the fields and do all the domestic tasks. She was severely punished, whipped, and segregated everyday of her life if she did not follow the rules set by Mrs. Belmont who treated her as a slave. In general, Wilson wanted to proof, without wounding those who fought against the slavery, that the treatment of all black people whether they were mulatto or "nigger" were the same everywhere. Moreover, Wilson made sure even after all the suffering Frado was subjected to; she never showed any sign of weakness and served as a symbol for all mulattos. As in spite of these unfair workdays and treatments, Frado was determined to gain knowledge and make her voice be heard when she was really hurt. For example, one day her mistress had beaten her very hard because she had misunderstood an order, and Frado left the house for a few days until they had to find out where she was hidden. Overall, the character of Frado served as symbol as even though she spent all her life under continuous inhumane treatments, she proved her courage and determination under all circumstances In conclusion, all of the trials and tribulations that mulattoes endured in the literary works, gives us a better understanding of the injustice mulattoes faced from both the white and the black world. Although some of the similar racism and intra racism still exists with all races, however, mulattoes are not openly discriminated against and are presented with the same opportunities as any other race. The writings of Chesnutt and Wilson were helpful in bringing out the reality behind the inequality towards these individuals. Both writers boldly wrote about issues that were highly controversial in their day and did so successfully especially Wilson who in the autobiographical novel stressed the importance of one's skin color as the measure of their power in the society. Overall, these authors presented the relentless challenges mulattoes had to undergo while at the same time describing the racial truths of the past as well as today. Bibliography: Chesnutt, Charles W. The House Behind the Cedars. Boston: Houghton Mifflin & Company, 1900. Wilson, Harriet E. Ed. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Our Nig; or Sketches from the Life of a Free Black. New York: Vintage Books, 1983. Thurman, Wallace. The Blacker the Berry. New York: Arno Press, 1969. (c.1929)

Word Count: 1318