As a Southern black man in New York, the narrator is aware of the stereotypes that impact others' perceptions of him. He knows that the assumptions these people may make about him are based on his appearance as a black man. The waiter at the deli assumes that the narrator will want to eat a traditional Southern breakfast of pork chops and grits because he is black, and this casual stereotyping is offensive to the narrator. He is in New York hoping to escape prejudice, but it seems to creep around every corner. As a result, he feels pressured to deny his Southern background by ordering a generic breakfast of juice, toast, and coffee. With this breakfast order, the narrator hopes to establish himself as a man of the world and separate his city self from his Southern self.

In Chapter 9 the narrator is still trying to establish a new identity that is different from the one he had a southern college student. In New York he is eager to be seen as sophisticated, to fit into a metropolitan society, instead of being categorized immediately as a southern black. The counterman offers him the special of "pork chops, grits, one egg, hot biscuits and coffee" because he believes this combination will "excite" his customer. The narrator is dismayed and asks himself, "Could everyone see I was a southern boy?" Trying to establish that he isn't a "pork chop man," he "coldly" orders what he believes to be a typical New Yorker's breakfast.

As the novel unfolds, the narrator will undergo a number of experiences that will help him to determine his true identity.