Reaction paper - James Weldon Johnson - Personal Statement Example

Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man tells the story of a light-skinned man with an African-American heritage. The in itself indicates that there is an intention not to be known as an African-American. It clearly shows how the man intends to leave his African-American heritage. Of course, there is always a price for one’s decision. And with the ex-colored man, it is the safety and economic necessity that made him decide to pass as a white man. He abandons his dream of becoming a musician who can make a name and who can help the black race by exposing their talents and skills through the African American music.

The ex-colored man is a complex character but very human. The narrative, told in first person, allows the reader to see and feel through the character. It makes the narration very real and, in fact, it pulls the reader in understanding the struggles of the blacks, and how the African American community behaves similar to the Whites. Although of a different color, we have the same dreams as they have, to have economic stability, to have independence and freedom, to improve our social status. We are no different than them, and this is one pressing point of the story.

The only difference between the two races is the existing racial block, the very same reason that the ex-colored man threw his black dreams away. As his millionaire friend put it, becoming a black means throwing away life to the poverty, ignorance and the hopeless struggle of the black people. This statement clearly signifies the entire direction of the narration. The ex-colored man has chosen his path away from racial, social and economic discrimination to become a regular man who can move freely without any prejudice from the society.

The narrative does not only signify the differences between the races, rather it gives us a realization that we, as humans, choose to side with the dominant culture in order to avoid the negative forces of the society.