Racism against the same race in chapter 16

Filed under: Group F, Uncategorized — hurston at 5:29 pm on Saturday, November 26, 2005

Something that has always boggled my mind is when someone is racist towards someone in their own race. A prime example of this is Mrs. Turner. She is a lighter skinned negro, and feels superior to any darker skin negro, and she is not afraid to hide her opinions. Mrs. Turner is immediatley drawn to Janie for the same reason, because she has much lighter skin, and white hair. Mrs. Turner will often visit with Janie and discuss her harse opinions with Janie. Mrs. Turner’s main concern stems from the fact that Janie is married to Tea Cake, she would classify Tea Cake as a “common nigger”. The term “common nigger” is deamed to anyone with dark skin, who works in the field. Mrs. Turner just can not understand how Janie, who is much lighter skin, and therefore classier, than her dark skinned husband, could marry someone like Tea Cake. Mrs. Turner’s initial reaction was the Tea Cake must of had a lot of money when Janie married him.

“Whut make you think dat, Mis’ Turner?” (Hurston 135).

“Tuh git hold of uh woman lak you. You got mo’ nerve than me. Ah jus’ couldn’t see mahself married to no black man. It’s too many black folks already. We oughta lighten up de race (Hurston 134-135).

In Mrs. Turner’s mind the only way a woman like Janie would marry a man like Tea Cake is if he had a lot of money. And in fact, in Janie and Teak Cake’s situation the case is just the oppisite. Janie is the one with all of the money, so clearly she married Tea Cake only out of love for him.

Mrs. Turner says some very inetesrtign things in that one quote: “Ah jus’ couldn’t see mahself married to no black man” (Hurston 135). Mrs. Turner is black, and she is married to a black man.  In her eyes, she doesnt see this because they are lighter skin. Ultimatley she is dividing a line within her own race. She is saying even though i am from the same race as you i am better because my skin is lighter. Where does Mrs. Turner get this notion from? Is it a reprecussion of the attitudes of whites towards blacks? Is it steming from a desire to be white?

EMIILY DESTEFANO



9 Comments

67

   hurston

November 27, 2005 @ 6:57 pm

I agree with Emily that Mrs. Turner’s actions and thinking process is very interesting. I would like to add that we see this racism in the same race earlier in the novel in Chapter 6.  Jody thinks exactly like Mrs. Turner in chaper 16. They both believe Janie should be considered higher than the rest of the black people because her skin is lighter than most blacks.

I think Hurston’s implication in portraying this type of racism within one race is to symbolize the irrational realities of life. Harold Bloom states that many characters from Eatonville believed that “Janie refuses to stay in her class” (Bloom 13). However this is interesting because Janie refuses to Mrs. Turner to see herself as higher than Tea Cake and the others in Jacksonville. 

-Nicole Leva

71

   hurston

November 27, 2005 @ 7:44 pm

Yes in this instant Janie does stand up for Tea Cake and defends him and his “type” against the harsh opinions of Mrs Turner. However Janie is often critizied, as Nicole said, for “not staying in her class”, by towns people, friends, and even her husbands. Janie’s first husband, Logan, always pointed out the fact that Janie was brought up in a white, rich, family household: “Considerin’ youse born in a carriage ‘thout no top to it, and yo’ mama and you bein born and raised in de white folks back-yard…Ah thought you would ‘preciate good treatment. Thought Ah’d take and make somethin’ outa yuh. You think youse white folks by de way you act” (Hurston 29). Do you think that Janie’s actions and attitudes are ever affected by the way she was brought up?

EMILY DESTEFANO

72

   hurston

November 27, 2005 @ 7:53 pm

Emily, the notion of lighter skinned blacks being better than darker ones comes from the time of slavery. Lighter Skinned slaves were deemed more suitable to work in the house than in the fields. Also by having lighter skinned, you were most likely part white, so by having some white in your blood you wouldn’t be considered as bad as other blacks. Also, Nicole your comparison between Jody and Mrs. Turner is correct. However, a part of it is that, Jody wanted to separate Janie because of her role as the Mayor’s wife. Mrs. Turner thinks this way because even is she is ugly, she seems herself as pretty and above other blacks because of her light skin tone.
-Andy 11-27-05

80

   hurston

November 28, 2005 @ 12:17 am

I agree with Emily that this thinking is intriguing. It also seems backwards. Her thinking that they need to lighten up the race by marrying light skinned blacks to other light skinned blacks is stupid, seeing as to lighten up th erace, you should inter marry light skinned and dark skinned blacks. This thought procces is similar to the focusing on thew rong front that takes place in The Bluest Eye. Similar to how the women think that the whores are bad, the fact that they think that if they had lighter skin they thought higher of by whites is an examle of this. In fact, lighter skin or not, they are still looked down upon by whites.

Dan

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