Why was acceptance important to the main character?

gbeatty | College Teacher | (Level 1) Educator Emeritus

Acceptance was important for several related reasons. First and most generally, it is important to all people; we need to be part of a group.

Second, African-Americans had been excluded from full inclusion in the American public sphere, and so acceptance was a measure of this.

Third, the narrator wished to hold a position within the African-American community, and acceptance was a necessary step towards this.