The Blacker the Berry (Masterplots II: American Fiction Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Wallace Thurman
- First Published: 1929
- Type of Plot: Satiric realism
- Time of Work: The 1920’s, during the Harlem Renaissance
- Setting: Boise, Idaho; Los Angeles; and Harlem
- Principal Characters: Emma Lou Morgan, Alva, Geraldine, Maria Lightfoot, Jane Lightfoot Morgan, Gwendolyn Johnson
- Genres: Long fiction, Realism, Satire
- Subjects: African Americans, New York, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., United States or Americans, Racism, Love or romance, Race, New York City, Prejudices or antipathies, Harlem Renaissance, 1920’s, California, Los Angeles, Polygamy or bigamy, West, U.S.
- Locales: Harlem, NY, Boise, ID, Los Angeles, CA
The Novel
The main action of The Blacker the Berry: A Novel of Negro Life focuses upon the protagonist’s struggle to be accepted by light-skinned blacks. In the opening scene of the book, Emma Lou is sitting with members of her high school graduating class, waiting to receive her diploma. Emma Lou, who is a very dark-skinned girl, is also the only black student in her class. She feels self-conscious about her appearance onstage, dressed in white, surrounded by her white classmates. As the ceremony draws to a close, Emma Lou ponders the value of a high school diploma...
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