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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
8 pages in length. Atypical of the standard theme of racial intolerance found in most literary circles, Chesnutt's The House Behind the Cedars delves into the impact that being mulatto has upon John and Rena's ability to intersect with white society. The extent to which this duality has a fluctuating effect upon the brother and sister is both grand and far-reaching; that John and Rena experience a full circle from cultural prosperity to personal tragedy all due to the way in which their mulatto appearance both helped and hindered their quest for social equality speaks to the way even those closest to them were unwilling to abandon their racial prejudices once they learned the truth. Bibliography lists 5 sources.
Page Count:
8 pages (~225 words per page)
File: LM1_TLCChesnutt.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
Renas ability to intersect with white society. The extent to which this duality has a fluctuating effect upon the brother and sister is both grand and far-reaching; that John
and Rena experience a full circle from cultural prosperity to personal tragedy all due to the way in which their mulatto appearance both helped and hindered their quest for social
equality speaks to the way even those closest to them were unwilling to abandon their racial prejudices once they learned the truth. The fundamental racial implication in Chesnutts (1990) story
is how both John and Rena were caught in the middle of two races; by being the children of an interracial union, their mulatto status served to open up otherwise
unattainable opportunities in business, love and social acceptance but at the same time was the source of tremendous pain when people - even those who professed to love them -
found out the truth and systematically purged the siblings from their lives. In one sense, John and Rena were handed a ticket out of what was sure to be a
life of racial inequity; their crossover into white society was possible only because of their ability to not look black. In another, however, they - themselves - were catalysts
for racism by virtue of how they so eagerly left behind a big part of their heritage in order to live within the other side of their cultural roots where
they knew they would be accepted and avoid the social damnation of racial intolerance. One cannot really blame them for choosing a path that was far more advantageous to
their social, economic and familial existence, yet the fall out of this conscious choice ultimately served to reinforce even more the fact that people simply cannot escape who they are.
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