Student Question
What is the significance of the girl refusing Du Bois' visiting card in The Souls of Black Folk?
Quick answer:
In The Souls of Black Folk, the girl refusing Du Bois's visiting card is significant because it made him realize for the first time that he was different from others because he was Black.
At the beginning of this text, Du Bois describes how, as a small child, he was at first completely unaware that he was any different from the other children he went to school with. It was decided by somebody that they should all buy pretty visiting cards and exchange them. This was a very happy exchange until, on one occasion, a girl who was a newcomer to the group refused Du Bois's card "peremptorily" after glancing at him.
This had a profound effect on the young Du Bois. It was the first time it had ever occurred to him that he was different from the others. He had not realized until this moment that he was shut out from their world by a sort of "veil."
Du Bois writes that he did not wish to tear down the veil after he first became aware of it; he knew that he could still beat his friends in exams, or at racing, or even in a physical fight. However, as the years went by, he began to recognize that despite the fact that he could outdo his friends in many arenas, they still had opportunities which were not open to him. He recognized that he would have to strive much harder than they would in order to have a satisfactory life and avail himself of good opportunities.
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