Prejudice in Not Without Laughter by Langston Hughes Essay

Prejudice is a cancer that spreads hate among its perpetrators and victims alike. In 1930 Langston Hughes penned the novel, Not Without Laughter. This powerful story, written from the perspective of an African-American boy named James â€Å"Sandy† Rodgers, begins in the early 1900’s in the small town of Stanton, Kansas. Through the eyes of young Sandy, we see the devastating impact of racism on his family and those they are close to. We also see how the generations of abuse by whites caused a divide within the black community. Among, and even within, black families there were several social classes that seemed to hinge on seeking equality through gaining the approval of whites. The class someone belonged to was determined by the color†¦show more content†¦The band was in full swing when the lead singer, Benbow, came out onto the dance floor and really excited the crowd. Sandy heard someone yell out, â€Å"High-yallers, draw nigh! Brown-skins, come near! But black gals, stay where you are!† (63, 64). Later, outside the dance, Hughes describes a scene in which: â€Å"a mustard-colored man stood near the door quarreling with a black woman. She began to cry and he slapped her full in the mouth, then turned his back and left with a girl of maple-sugar brown† (69). This was Sandy’s first, but would not be his last, exposure to how skin color affected how desirable someone was. His own mother found his father’s lighter skin tone more appealing and, later in his youth; Sandy was exposed to the talk of the men in the barber shop who also shared these views when it came to the women they were interested in (23, 133). Perhaps one of the most painful early demonstrations to Sandy of the importance of skin color occurred when he and his friend, Willie-Mae, set out to attend the opening day of a new amusement park in Stanton. Sandy and Willie-Mae, along with most of the children in Stanton, had looked forward to i t with great anticipation. They both dressed their best and arrived at the park gate, excited the day had finally come, only to be turned away because they were not white. Demonstrating further that skin tone was of high importance, Sandy and Willie-MaeShow MoreRelatedPrejudice in Langston Hughes Novel, Not Without Laughter1387 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout Langston Hughes novel, Not Without Laughter, the author introduces multiple characters that reveal their notions of prejudice. The novel explores that prejudice in one form or another is in every aspect of ones life. Prejudice can be defined as an opinion for or against a persons look, race, class, or religion, which is usually formed by a hasty generalization. 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