A Historical Approach on Racism and Identity Crisis Through Langston Hughes’s Mulatto

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A Historical Approach on Racism and Identity Crisis Through Langston Hughes’s Mulatto

Imagine living in the 1930s as an African-American human being; the white man and woman have control and authority over all. During these times a great African-American writer tried to convey to his people that there was no such thing as a superior race. Langston Hughes was not an average African-American for those times. He was a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance and a pusher for equal rights. Through his many writings he showed his disappointment and disbelief with the behaviors of North and South African-Americans. In 1934, he wrote and published a book called, “The Ways of White Folks”. The play “Mulatto” is a version of one of the stories in that book. “Mulatto” is a compelling, courageous play where the subject of race and identity can be understood a little better through a historical approach.

In “Mulatto” there are many characters. There is the white, plantation owner, the housekeeper, and their children. Back in the 1930s it was not uncommon for a white man to have mixed children. He would hardly ever claim a single one, but sometimes he would do things for them that he would not normally do for his so-called “field niggers”, as they were referred to in the play. In fact, in the play one of Colonel Norwood’s friends states: “I’ve given many a yellow gal a baby in my time”. (Act1, speech 61, lines 6-7) What this one little passage says is that African-American or yellow women were not seen as people. To the white population they were only there to serve. African-American women were exploited back then. They were seen through the eyes of society as ignorant, breeding machines. Hughes knew this and that is why ...

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...en. There was the worried African-American woman, the white, rich plantation owner, and their children who were stuck in the middle. There were so many obstacles to jump through then and unfortunately this story could be fact instead of fiction. Hughes knew how things were going and he did not want it to continue. The world needed to change and he was going to try and speed up the process through his writings. We all have a history and whether it is good or bad we have all, hopefully, overcome it. Hughes was a leader and every African-American and Caucasian should be proud of his accomplishments, because they have become our accomplishments as well.

WORK CITED

Hughes, Langston. “Mulatto”. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. 3rd Compact ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2006. 1266-1288.

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