◆ SpookStack

a ' they should not happen to ‘ tons which corrode the Ne- - New Times NS BLACK BOY, pichart’s Wright has writ- ten a furious and Verritving story ef the impact of the Jimcrow system upon human beings in the deep South. The result is eo Picture which challenges America. There may be exaggerations in the book. _ Many of the incidents may be highly Sctional, and mever really happened to Wright. But what difference pened to some other young Negro. The point is that any Negro and the candj- fo iamijy must be elimi- natext. For they victimize not only the Negro citizen; they suffocate the pooy whites to a more or less degree, and retayd the development of the whole South. It does no good to run away from this essential significance of the book for the purpose of gtappling with the secondary ss- pects, some of which are contained in the book, and others of which surround the guthor’s riews and his writing of the book. It fg of supreme tmportance that this main picture of the life and death of the Negro ander the reign of white supremacy should hit America with full force. For it concerns America. Any attempt to bypass this over-all picture will lessen its force and thereby lead to an underestimation of its starknes and blunt the aharp need for correctives. When this main picture is changed in its principal outlines, the derivative secondary aspects Will disappear. But until it does, naturally there are going to be al kinds of corfusion, badly : ' " @ i ! * by Benjamin J. Davis, Jr. focused perspectives, and Datsleading ambigu!- ther and conclusions—imany @f which mar Black Boy. . * * book is intensely subjective. In fact, it ia limited by its subjectiveness. But people are not born subjective, and it i clear that a young Negro who has to run the wmauntiet of every type ef oppression-—just abort of lynching—has subjectiveness forced into his marrow. This heavy pressure pushes him to view the world in which be lives entirely through glasses colored by his own personal suffering from national oppression. which puffering in one form or another he meets every day. Those who complain of that intense subjectivity are forever stopped from doling ao, unless they realize what brought ft about, and also help to eradicate the diseased soll from which it grows. Tt %& tmportent, however, that ‘this sub- " fectiveness be overcome. It can be done and 4a being done since there are new trends and factors which make the overcoming possibile. It is also necessary to overcome it, lest one fell into the trap of frustration and defeat- ism which the white supremacy forces have eet. Black Boy says some wholly unacceptabie things about the Naegro's capacity for genuine emotion. Here the author's subjectivity hes overcome reality. For the truly remarkable achievement of the Negro is that be has made such singular contributlons to America —culturally and musically and in all other fields—despite the system of national oppres- sion which tends to thwart his every effort. ‘The polnt is: Will Wright himsait be able _ AbD 6G 5-fE7 ne ee re - aoe we . Pe : ec rn a © PILE ; Some Impressions ; Of Black Boy ‘ to overcome this limitation of subjectivizs imposed upon him in order that he may*sec clearly, and perticipate with, the forces which would destroy the myth of white supremacy. Inasmuch as Wright has attained titers: prominence, and some circles have thrust upor. him the mantie of spokesman for his peopl: he above al must maintain a clear head. (TRERE is Do “aoubt that " Wright wields a briluant and stormy pen. Few story teller: are his equal But iz this sufficient wher. there are brilliant writers on both sides of the barricades. It is vitally important tha: the artist who reflects and the artist who see: the way out should be one and the same person. For both these factors exist in the objective real world, outaide one's self. Jim- crow is here, yet Jimcrow is also being driver Gefepted from the scene. Life is not static. One has to see both jo be realistic, and to shape the future. Wright does not see the positive. construc- tive side, and therefore the mirror of his pez does not give a complete picture. He omit: the biggest new thing which is happenire i the world today—the main progressive cur- Tents from which even the South ts no’ immune. Apparently he is isolated from thes+ developments—and far removed from the pec. ple. Such isolationism can lead to stagnatior —to form without content. It ie pretty diitt- cult to see what happened in 1915 if one | isolated from 1945. While Wright is, of course not responsible for Black Boy conditions, hi- is, however, responsible for his own sebonta:: act of withdrawal from the forces, “gebhkb arr among the leaders of the pr whee work!. He can blame - Cad. This is a clipping from: : f} yas NOT eee " page BEC. ols As, APR 36 1985 ErWOR _ Ny Date iH _ aA >) . [AL ror comnawep rn 19 1 UNG TASSIFED : eoH By © > &