On James Weldon Johnson’s “The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man”

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When the narrator of Johnson’s novel falls in love, it is to music he turns to express that emotion to his intended one (149). She in turn answered in kind, letting the notes and tempo combine with her words in expression of her love returned to him. The relevance of music in Johnson’s novel should not be undercut by the other issues within the confines of his text. Exploring the meaning of this inclusion will be to explore the theme of music itself. It will encompass the examination of the style of music, the generation in which the story takes place along with the issues of race. Johnson’s use of music to develop a story line and illuminate the various issues and themes of his novel is a demonstration of his love of the art form along with his belief in the power of music to provide a more common way to view one solution to blur the color line.

At an early age, music was a part of the young narrator’s life. He states: “Always on Sunday evenings she opened the little square piano and picked out hymns” (4).His mother, even though not a formally trained musician, taught the narrator that music was a form of emotional expression and through it she was able to extend to him the surreal existence that happens when notes and words come together to take the mind to another time and place. Her tunes were mostly in tempo “largo” on the Sunday evenings mentioned above. “Largo” is a musical term meaning “very slow and broad, with dignity” (Musical Definitions). The description of this time in the narrator’s life is so fitting, filled with loving images of his mother using music to soothe the cares of the day, slowly and with dignity. His mother allows him to participate “by chiming in with strange harmonies” (5). The definition of harmony...

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... Robert Cochran. "Johnson's THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF AN EX-COLOURED MAN." Explicator 60.3 (2002): 147. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 4 June 2011.

Ruotolo, Cristina L. "James Weldon Johnson and the Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Musician." American Literature 72.2 (2000): 249. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 4 June 2011.

"A Formal Analysis of Beethoven’s Pathetique « Open Source Music." Open Source Music. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 June 2011. .

"Frédéric François Chopin - Classical Archives." Listen to Classical Music on Classical Archives: Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 June 2011.

"What Is Ragtime - Description of Jazz Style Ragtime." About.com Jazz - Jazz Music News, Reviews, and More by Guide Jacob Teichroew. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 June 2011.

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