Representation of Extreme White Supremacy Leaves No Room for Integration
The extreme stereotyping in The Marrow of Tradition is Chesnutt’s attempt to reconstruct the riots of Wilmington, North Carolina and protest the barbarity and consequences of white supremacy. He uses characters such as Major Carteret, Olivia Carteret, Captain McBane, and General Belmont to convey this idea of extreme white supremacy in this post-reconstruction interpretation of Southern society. His opposing characters, Dr. Miller and his wife Janet, are a representation of the rising African American class trying to make strides toward integrating into this white society while resisting white supremacy. This representation of extreme white supremacy prohibits Chesnutt’s main African-American characters, Dr. Miller and his wife Janet, from being able to integrate into society at the end of the story and leaves the readers conflicted on a probable solution to his posed problem. Chesnutt’s novel does not succeed at proposing a solution to integrating African Americans because he has created a corrupt white supremacy society that leaves no room for progress or assimilation.
The African American community in The Marrow of Tradition expresses a great deal of sorrow and grief toward their maltreatment from white society. Yet, most are willing to overlook that and move forward into a more progressive era. Of course, supreme white society does not reciprocate these feelings. On the contrary, Chesnutt depicts a meeting between General Belmont, Captain McBane, and Mr. Carteret coming together and toasting to, “No nigger domination,” and, “White Supremacy everywhere…Now and forever,” in response to African Americans taking local office and having the right to vote (67, 68). Furthermore, the treatment of Sandy by Captain McBane is evident proof that he will never be able to see an African American as his equal in society. Before the war, Captain McBane was considered a part of the poor-white class and he was able to profit from the war more than slaves. He is a character that shows no mercy towards this idea of integration in how he treats Sandy. He throws money at him, is physically violent with him, and even insults his qualities as a gentleman. Sandy, representing a class of African Americans who still continue a line of work for their master’s families, takes this treatment as if he has no other choice even though he is no longer a slave. This one scene represents the struggle for integration into this supreme white society. Chesnutt has created these stereotypes in each of his characters that give them the harsh reality of the reader’s society. It would never be possible for McBane, resentful of his origins and makes a point of his authority at the expense of those below him, to accept a man like Sandy as his equal in society. From this particular scene, it is evident to readers that integration would not be possible with a mindset of white supremacy infecting society.
Another example of an African American character wanting acceptance and recognition from this supreme white society is Janet Miller. Janet Miller is the “tragic mulatta” of the story as she is shunned by her half white sister, Olivia. Early in the novel Janet expresses that she, “would have worshipped this sister, even afar off, had she received even the slightest encouragement,” (Chesnutt 85). At this point, Janet wanted the same acceptance as her “equals” like Sandy or Mammy Jane, however, she is a product of slavery and would serve as a reminder to everyone that a white man entered willing relations with an African American woman. Her character also serves as a question of legal marriage between a white man and an African American woman that the Carterets refused to recognize until it was too late. It shows the corruption of how a white society is willing to deny rights to an heiress on the basis that she is black. The act of burning the legal document that gave Janet the credibility she longed for her whole life was stripped from her by Olivia. She did it cold heartedly and only regretted the act until she realized her dilemma of morals and values versus legalities.
By the end of novel we see Janet’s feelings toward acceptance and recognition altered from before as she learns the true nature of her sister and white society. The words between the two sisters arouses mixed feelings of emotion from both characters and leaves the readers vexed by the unresolved ending posed to them by Chesnutt. In Janet’s speech to Olivia she fervently states, “For twenty-five years I, poor, despicable fool, would have kissed your feet for a word, a nod, a smile. Now, when this tardy recognition comes, for which I have waited so long, it is tainted with fraud and crime and blood, and I must pay for it with my child’s life!” (Chesnutt 246). The readers can see the complete turnaround of emotion in Janet towards her longing for acceptance. She no longer feels ashamed or out of place. She was able to establish her own identity as a wife and mother, and found her role outside of the white society she was always peering into. Janet found the true characters of her sister and her society and found it to be something she and her husband can never be a part of. Chesnutt further represents these feelings of resentment and disgust for their white supremacy society with Janet stating, “I throw back your father’s name, your father’s wealth, your sisterly recognition. I want none of them,” (246). This is a bold statement on behalf of the African American community that Chesnutt poses, yet, the vexation has not presented itself. He continues by Olivia giving Janet the power to save the child’s life.
Some readers could interpret that this is a kind hearted gesture from Olivia in giving Janet the power in this situation over her beloved child. One could argue that she truly did have a change of heart at the end of the novel, however, the readers never get to see if the ultimate outcome of the situation. We will never know if Dodie is saved and the two families unite and overcome their differences in an effort to integrate society peacefully. Chesnutt himself did not come to this conclusion because he ended the story with Dr. Miller walking in the room with intentions to save the child. Even Chesnutt could not create a fictional world where blacks and whites can overcome their differences and assimilate into society as one.
While Chesnutt never expressed his personal solution to this problem of how to integrate whites and blacks into this fictionalized society of The Marrow of Tradition, he published an article “The Future American” on these matters afterwards. In the article Chesnutt suggested, “that evolutionary development in human existence in fact dictated the disappearance of American Caucasians as a racial group,” through the process of miscegenation (279). We can see how he integrated this mixing of races into The Marrow of Tradition through his suspected and verified mixed race characters. Janet’s racial status was confirmed as the tragic mulatta, however, other characters such as Tom Delamare and Sandy are suspected to be of mixed race. They looked so much alike, that Tom was able to pass as Sandy in the cakewalk and was “identified” by several people on his way home. Furthermore, Mr. Delamare appears to favor Sandy over his legitimate son Tom because Sandy has inherited all the qualities of a gentleman that you bestow to a son. Chesnutt himself identifies himself as mixed race and to be legally black by most state laws during his era. With all of the above in mind, it is not hard to see how Chesnutt would come to this conclusion, however, modern day readers know this was not the solution to integrating whites and blacks.
Another character that illustrates this impossibility of integration is Dr. Miller. He is conflicted by his own standing as a black man who is considered one of the most qualified doctors in his region. He does not identify with his fellow African Americans nor does he feel a longing to be a part of this corrupted white society surrounding him. This conundrum leaves him drifting between these two societies. This is expressed on his train ride as he is watching “his people” having a good time before he becomes uncomfortable and annoyed by their activities. He later states that, “these people were just as offensive to him as the whites in the other end of the train,” (Chesnutt 82). He does not belong to any group other than that of his family and practice. Unfortunately, his hospital is burned to the ground, his child is murdered, and once again white supremacy is withholding what is legally his. Mr. Delamare’s attorney purposefully hides the will giving a sum of money to Dr. Miller for his hospital. This is absolute corruption that Dr. Miller wants no part of, but at the same time leaves him with few options that Chesnutt does not explore. Miller becomes a crucial part of Chesnutt’s dilemma as he, “intensifies his point by showing that besides being subject to continual humiliation in social circumstances, even the Millers’ professional accomplishments are vulnerable to the moods of white society,” (Reilly). They will never be accepted because they blur the lines and no longer fit into the predetermined boxes that society has cut out for them. The Millers become a threat to white supremacy.
Chesnutt’s fictional representation of post-reconstruction society is corrupt, cruel, and mind washed with the ideas of white supremacy. It hinders progress and integration because African American characters are unable to break social and racial barriers without the threat of lynching or humiliation. It is keeping them stuck in the southern social hierarchy as a second class citizen. As a result, Chesnutt has created this integration dilemma by his own doing to the point that he leaves his readers with a serious problem unanswered. It is important to note this because it shows the severity and complexity of the problems people were faced with at the time. Even the most intellectual figures did not have solutions as to how to integrate society. Furthermore, Chesnutt’s work gave the rest of white America at the time a complex look at how the interworking of Southern hierarchy is corrupt and hinders racial and social progress. Unfortunately, he was unable to fully convey the problem following a feasible solution, and he left his audience with vexed feelings towards racial progress and southern literature.
