Passing as a Slave - Charles Chestnutt

[This is meant to read as excerpts from an editorial book review of Pudd'nhead Wilson by Charles Chestnutt. The ellipses demonstrate where passages were "left out."]

I have discussed at length the ways in which pre- and post-War laws regarding race have been designed to maintain “Anglo-Saxon superiority” throughout our great country. A man predisposed to common sense and decency might see the foolishness in these laws. One of those milky white individuals one passes on one's way to work could be hiding the legal burden of African descent with everyone around none the wiser. And for those not well-versed in the alchemical process of turning one's blood content into law, there is a remarkable body of literature on the subject.

For an academic perspective, one might seek out the works of W.E.B Du Bois, a Negro and friend with an astonishing intellect and persuasive way with words. For the literary sort, Mark Twain's novel, Pudd'nhead Wilson, will grant a clever look at the arbitrary nature of the color line and the ways in which we treat each other. What follows is a review of Twain's work.

…

A key, but ignored figure in the novel is the man born free but enslaved by chance. The Thomas who was switched at birth to become Valet de Chambre, or Chambers, lives as a victim of the same “black laws” that called classified his false mother, Roxy, a Negro. Despite his white lineage, the man who lived as Chambers was able to be trapped by the yoke of slavery because slave and Negro identity was so highly dependent upon amorphous and easily falsified factors, such as lineage, dress, and mannerisms (The casual observer will notice that even Roxy, a freedwoman, was easily sold through falsified documents). As soon as the young white boy was marked for degradation and discrimination, his life became a terrible self-fulfilling prophecy, his upbringing cementing the common Negro manners into his soul.

…

Twain may show us how arbitrary the markers of race are for those of fair complexion, but doesn't exert nearly as much effort on decrying the poor treatment of the Negro himself. The false “Tom” is a devious, cowardly, and criminal creature, the only nefarious “white” character in the novel while the “Negro,” “Chambers” is a solid, reputable, and brave friend. Once their true races are revealed, the real Chambers's actions seem to reflect those prevalent beliefs of the corrupt nature of Negroes, especially those Negroes who rise “above their station.” I would be more inclined to believe that Twain had constructed a bitter commentary on the natures of white men if there had been other corrupted characters of that race beside the one who was truly Negro. Thus, the reader should take Pudd'nhead Wilson with a grain of salt.

I may be of a more Republican disposition than most in our great country, yet, criticisms aside, I do believe that this novel will entertain and open the minds of readers of every background. With the Twain's skillful prose at hand, we might revisit our ideas of race and the color lines, and perhaps even consider our own reliance on ancestries with a more scrutinizing eye.

- CHARLES W. CHESNUTT, ESQ.