Kirandeep Kaur Black like Me Based on the Sociohistoric approach to literature, Black like Me does not fully achieve its stated purpose. Black like Me is not totally valid because it is written from the perspective of a white man. Its stated purpose is to show what it is like to be black. Because the author is a white man on the inside, he will never know what it is like to be black. He did not grow up in the black culture nor did he previously live as a black, therefore he cannot fully assess what it feels like to be black. He can however show how other people treat blacks and what they think of them.
Part of the reason why he can do this is because he isn’t black. Because he is white, he already has some previous judgments of blacks and he already has some knowledge of how they were treated. For example, “Though streetcars are not segregated in New Orleans, I took a seat near the back. Negroes there glanced at me without the slightest suspicion or interest.” (Pg 16) On the very first night that he goes out as a black, he sits in the back of the bus because he is aware that even though the buses are integrated, that is ...
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Part of the reason why he can do this is because he isn’t black. Because he is white, he already has some previous judgments of blacks and he already has some knowledge of how they were treated. For example, “Though streetcars are not segregated in New Orleans, I took a seat near the back. Negroes there glanced at me without the slightest suspicion or interest.” (Pg 16) On the very first night that he goes out as a black, he sits in the back of the bus because he is aware that even though the buses are integrated, that is where Negroes are expected to sit. His approach is not fully valid because in the back of his mid, he knows that he can change back. He tells himself that he is black now, and that’s his new identity, but he knows that the melanin will eventually wear off and he will regain his true identity. For several months, he is black, but for the rest of his life, he was and still will be white. In the beginning, before his transformation, he contacted the FBI and told them of his plan. “Though I knew my project was outside their jurisdiction and that they could not support it in any way, I wanted them to know about it in advanced.” (Pg 11) He does this because he didn’t want to be mistaken as really being black and be arrested and put into jail because of discrimination against blacks. Blacks faced much discrimination and were often times thrown into jail for very minor issues, whereas a white person would not be thrown into jail for the same issue. This makes the approach very invalid because in order to understand what it feels like to be black, he must go through all the problems that normal blacks would face. By his not willing to be put in jail and experience the true prejudice of being black, he shows that he can’t show what it feels like to be black. He will always be white. Just because he changed the color of his skin, doesn’t mean that he can completely change his mind, previous life/attitudes, and perspective. For one thing, he doesn’t change his identity. He decides that he will keep his real identity, and if questioned, he would explain his project. One of the problems with is the fact that he is a middle class man with money. Money is status. Regardless of gender or race, if you have money, you are respected. Because he does have money, he won’t be treated the same as an average black. This also allows for error in his project. Overall, he has too many invalidities and errors for his stated purpose to be achieved. He can’t show what it feels like to be black, but he can show how others treat blacks. One of the purposes of the Sociohistoric approach to literature however, is to show the vices of society. By showing the treatment of blacks by others and showing the discrimination against them, he is indeed exposing the vices of his society.
