Hokum 301-320 and 429-439

            Today’s Hokum readings were very entertaining to me. In particular, I enjoyed the story “From Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison for the social commentary it gives. Since the story revolves around the inward thoughts of the main character, it is interesting how some of his inward thoughts are universal in their applications. The idea of people being ashamed of something that means a lot to them is unfortunate, to say the least. In this story, the narrator describes the shame someone would feel if his love of certain foods was exposed to the world. He describes the shame as worse than the shame of committing a terrible crime like rape, which was a shocking comparison to me. Obviously, the author is probably using this exaggeration to get his point across, but it still struck me as strange.

            The commentary the author seems to be making is that stereotypes (mostly negative ones) can manipulate people to try to be something that they are not. He implies that the narrator was ashamed of his love for yams, and normally wouldn’t tell anyone about it, but when he bites into the yam, he realizes that he doesn’t care what stereotype it fulfills or what people think about him, saying, “I no longer had to worry about who saw me or about what was proper.” The concept of certain thoughts being proper or improper in society is generally a positive thing, but in this story, Ellison shows how social mores can sometimes do harm and cause people to do things that go against what they actually believe. Things that are morally neutral are often discouraged by society simply because of stigmas, which can cause insecurity and shame.

            The story, “Dirty Deceivers” by Chester Himes also contained this theme. The husband, Clefus, and wife, Sadie are both partially black, but are both afraid to tell the other one. They join in with society by being intentionally prejudiced against blacks, even though they know they are partially African American as well. This story was meaningful in that the society around them forced them to disregard part of themselves and join in against their own family.

            These two stories were interesting, although not too funny. The social commentary in them was good and provocative, which made these readings some of my favorites.