The Wife of His Youth is a short story written by Charles Chestnut that highlights the difficulties experienced by the mulattos (people of mixed white and black races) during the 1890’s. One of the biggest difficulties experienced by the protagonist, Mr. Ryder, was deciding which race to closer associate with when it came time for him to select a spouse. Because Mr. Ryder was a mulatto, choosing to marry a darker woman would emphasize his darker qualities and choosing a whiter woman would emphasize his whiter features. Charles Chestnut utilizes the use of poetry in The Wife of His Youth as a means to give the reader insight into what Mr. Ryder is attracted to in Mrs. Dixon, as well as using the poetry to instigate Mr. Ryder’s actions with his former wife. This …show more content…
Ryder’s superficial intentions once more by the way Charles Chestnut included the description of Queen Guinevere in The Wife of His Youth. Instead of focusing on beauty, like the previous poems accomplished, the poetry regarding Queen Guinevere highlights her financial status and the adorning accessories she can afford to buy. The materialistic aspect of Mr. Ryder’s attraction to Mrs. Dixon is evidenced by “buckled with golden clasps before…closed in a golden ring” (4). However, the evidence is not limited to jewelry: “a gown of grass-green silk she wore… a light-green tuft of plumes she bore” not only emphasizes her exquisite clothing, but the double reference to the color green enforces such a “joyous spring” yielding a product that is new and young. The Wife of His Youth specifies that Mr. Ryder “was old enough to have been [Mrs. Dixon’s] father” (2). This is even furthering the stereotype of an older man wanting a very much younger wife as his trophy. By Mr. Ryder choosing to marry Mrs. Dixon, he would be belittling her to that of a trophy wife and sacrifice all the benefits of what a successful marriage could encompass with someone he truly
While reading through the pages of “Separate Pasts: Growing up in the Segregated South” the author gives many details of his life growing up in the village of Wade. There are several things noticed during the course of this book, one can almost hear McLaurin tell the stories of his past and reading the words I could tell he was at times curious. But there were also times of guilt for the way he was brought up to treat the “blacks” of wade. McLaurin also had respect and sometimes it seemed he was envious of some of the black people he came in contact with. There were also times of depression within his own family. We will revisit some of his stories and reflect on some of the details of his life growing up.
I chose to analyze the The Family, 1941 portray and The Family, 1975 portray, both from Romare Bearden, for this essay because they are very similar paintings but at the same time very different. To write a critical analyzes it was necessary to choose two different paintings that had similar characteristics. The text about critical comparison said that to compare things they have to be similar, yet different, and that’s what these paintings look to me. As I had already written an analysis of The Family, 1941 portray I chose to analyze and compare The Family, 1975 this time. Both works have a lot of color in it and through the people’s faces in the pictures we can feel the different emotions that the paintings are conveying.
James McBride is the son of Ruth McBride and is only one of twelve mixed race children. McBride delves into his mother’s closed off past. Something she never allowed herself to share with any of her children. He grew up in the projects. Growing up McBride did not understand his mother; he was embarrassed, and baffled by her. It was not until he was a grown man that he began to uncover the truth about the early years of her life and her long-repressed misery.
In the story, “The Wife of His Youth,” Chestnutt describes the racial discrimination in America. The author utilizes the primary characters as a gateway to reveal hypocrisy in declaring social equity and identity. Mr. Ryder runs away from his black heritage to become a part in a white society, while his wife from slavery uses her past to assert her faithfulness to her husband. The writer uses Mr. Ryder to reveal hypocrisy in social equity. Sam Taylor was a light skinned slave before the civil war. While his wife was at home cooking, he was always at the field working. During the civil war, he managed to escaped and moved up to north. After being free in north he decided to change his name to Mr. Ryder and joined the group called Blue Veins. Blue
In Charles Chesnutt’s story “The Wife of His Youth,” it illustrates the reality of what individuals of mixed races had to go through in order to fit in with society. From the beginning readers are presented with troubles African American’s had to face through racial division and inequality, along with a correlation between race and color. The main character in this story, Mr. Ryder, is a great representation of how a society can influence one’s beliefs and morals. In order to become apart of the Blue Vein society, Mr. Ryder had to leave his ethnic background behind him, so he could be accepted into a white community. The purpose of the Blue Vein Society, as Chesnutt described it, "was to establish and maintain correct social standards among
Charles impaired vision of what marriage is darkening his heart in a paralytic form causing a staggering malfunction toward his true belief of right and wrong. The shame that Evelyn felt from Charles misconduct has caused her to loath the truth of her religion and for the house of worship while Charles wrongdoings continue to make her feel powerless and incredibly unfit.
In Charles Chestnutt’s “The Wife of His Youth,” Liza Jane is a woman who is determined to find her long lost husband, Sam Taylor. When he ran away from slavery and escaped up north, he left his wife behind. He changed his name to Mr. Ryder, to forget his past with slavery. Soon he became involved with a group called the Blue Veins, which were a group of people who believed in the preservation of light skinned blacks. In this group he was known as the dean. The Blue Vein society thought that dark skinned blacks were dirt and ignorant. Many years went by and Liza still felt that Sam was in love with her and that they would be back together.
Tradition has always remained of vital importance in our lives. Whether it’s the tradition to go to the beach the first day of summer, or to bring someone a gift when they first move into a new home. Everyone has his or her own beliefs and traditions they hold on to sometime during their lives. Furthermore, there has always been the tradition of weddings. The white dress, the ring exchange, vows, and of course, the procession. In times of a wedding, family and friends are gathered from both sides of the bride and groom. Everyone knows this; it’s a tradition worldwide. Some brides, however, choose to go against the assumption that a bride is always dressed in white and wear a red dress, or maybe a black one on their wedding day. Other couples might say “to hell with it all” and choose to get married in a small wedding chapel in Las Vegas.
Charles Chesnutt’s “The Sheriff’s Children” deals with the subject of race and pedigree in the city of Troy, North Carolina. In Troy, time has almost come to a stand-still as its citizens lament and remember the end of the Civil War. Life becomes more interesting, however, when an old Confederate army captain is murdered. The first time this has happened in well over ten years, the citizens are in a state of shock until the murderer is revealed to potentially be an African-American man named Tom. Then they all go out to form a lynch mob. However, the story is not about the mob, it’s about the sheriff and his conversation with the prisoner, who turns out to be his son. Chesnutt’s story is an example of formalism, but by analyzing the text it is also an example of Sigmund Freud’s theory of dreams and unconscious desire.
Mrs. Dixon’s character has a large initial impact on Mr. Ryder before his understanding of true love. She attracts Mr. Ryder into being motivated by superficial qualities. The text explains that, “She possessed many attractive qualities...She was whiter than he, and better educated. She had moved in the
Charles Chesnutt was an African American author who was born on June 20, 1850. Chesnutt was well known for his short stories about the issues of social and racial identity in post- reconstruction south. Chesnutt’s well-known example of his collection of short stories “The Wife of his Youth: And other Stories of the Color Line” examines issues of discrimination that permeate within the African American community. His most anthologized short story “The Wife of his Youth” explores the issue racial passing. The character Mr. Ryder attempts to assimilate into the white majority in a post- reconstruction American society. Mr. Ryder’s hopes to assimilate becomes an obsession. His opportunity for assimilation arrives through a widow name of Mrs. Molly Dixon,
Desiree is deeply in love with her husband and could not be happier in life. When she realizes her son is of a darker skin color than her own she panics. This causes her husband to fall out of love with her, which forces her to move on with her life as a single mother. She told her mother days before, Oh, mamma, I’m so happy; it frightens me” (171). Desiree could not be happier in life, which scares her because she doesn’t want it to end. Which she has good reason to feel this way since she then realizes that her newborn son is of a darker skin color. When her husband realizes this he loses his love for her, thinking that she must come from a family of darker skin. This breaks Desiree’s heart. She loves her husband and he no longer feels that
1. I read Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence. I read 323 pages from the book, which means I read the entire book.
Talia Davis Ms. Macpherson Honors English III February 24, 2014. Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. When Hawthorne was four years of age, his father died of yellow fever. From 1821 to 1824 he studied at Bowdoin College in Maine. After attending Bowdoin College, Hawthorne worked as a writer and contributor to periodicals.
“When love is not madness, it is not love” –said Pedro Calderon de la Barca, a dramatist. These words by Pedro Barca contribute to the theme of the short novella “Rappaccini’s daughter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. These words represent Hawthorne’s implied message because through out the story the feelings exchanged between the two main characters; Giovanni, and Beatrice has been nothing but madness. The reason this story has been madness is because the many turn of events that lead up to one of the most ultimate pains, losing the one people care about the most. Also this story persuades the idea that love is love even if it does not follow the qualities of a socially realistic ideal meaning of love. This book supports a different kind of affection because throughout the story it was love between a two individuals. Beatrice, the main character of this story is half flower because her father is devoted to science and research so she is the result of his scientific research. All throughout their relationship with their different circumstances according to society, and their love was genuine even though their image is different. The exchanges between Giovanni and Beatrice begin as simple lust and no deep emotional understanding and attachment, yet drastically changes to true love and an emotional attachment they have for each other due to the recent communications they have developed. The author’s message about love is that it does not always end in a happy ending and that love comes in many different forms.