If He Hollers Let Him Go (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Chester Himes
- First Published: 1945
- Type of Work: Novel
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism
- Subjects: North America or North Americans, Self-discovery, United States or Americans, Racism, 1940’s, California, Los Angeles, West, U.S., Rape, Violence, Oppression
- Locales: Los Angeles, CA
If He Hollers Let Him Go is a line from a nursery rhyme that illuminates the dilemma of Bob Jones, an African American worker in a Los Angeles defense plant. An intelligent but conflicted man, he relocated from Ohio to California in search of a chance to find a good job and a better life. Along with the financial benefits, he anticipates the promise of upward social mobility when he courts Alice, the fair-skinned daughter of a well-to-do doctor. In spite of the racial climate in California at the time—Japanese Americans are being uprooted and sent to relocation camps, Mexican...
[The entire page is 1173 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
