African American Detective in Film and Fiction - Term Paper Example

African American Detective in Film and Fiction Introduction Detective narratives are defined as a crime story involving law enforcement, a crime or crimes and a detective who is either private or a member of law enforcement (Soitos, 16). The classical detective narrative engages the audience interest in solving the crime and thus goes beyond mere detection of a crime (Soitos, 16). However, the African American detective narrative in film and fiction turns away from the central theme of “whodunit,” to focusing on the characterization of the African American detective in what is known as “hardboiled” detective fiction (Jezawi, 35). A major trope in African American detective film and fiction is the persona of the detective and the impact of race and social tensions on who they are (Jezawi, 38). The African American detective’s race serves as an “asset” in the investigation of crime and at the same time, the detective knows his place within society (Jezawi, 39). The African American detective also has a unique bound with his or her community which usually means that he or she has a close connection to other African Americans (Jezawi, 39). Other tropes featured in African American detective film and fiction are “double conscious detection, black vernaculars and hoodoo” (Bell, 367). This paper analyses African American detectives in film and fiction by reference to the two of Soitos’ tropes: the double consciousness detection and the persona of the African American detective. Persona of the African American Detective Persona as a trope in literature is a literary device through which the author conveys underlying messages related to issues or problems (Langbaum, 569). For example, the film series Rush Hour, features James Carter, an African American detective attached to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and the uneasy relationship between the African American community and the LAPD following the Rodney King beating by the LAPD is symbolized through Carter’s relationship with the LAPD (Mintz and Roberts, 343). Carter’s introduction in Rush Hour (1998) reveals the tensions between African Americans and the LAPD when Carter stages a meeting with an African American criminal he intends to arrest. However, at the meeting, two white police officers with the LAPD appear and immediately suspect that Carter and the criminal are engaging in a criminal transaction. Despite Carter’s signaling that he is a member of the police force, he is also arrested. Although, Carter is eventually released and exonerated, it is obvious that he has an uneasy co-existence with the LAPD and in fact reveals this fact to his partner. Throughout the film, it is clear that Carter is alienated from the LAPD, although due in part to his own choice. There is an obvious lack of acceptance on both sides. As a result, Carter is left largely to himself and as such, without the weight of the LAPD behind him, encounters significant obstacles in his day to day investigations (Rush Hour, 1998). The uneasy relationship between the African American community and the LAPD is also captured through the persona of the African American detective in Walter Mosely’s Easy Rawlins in White Butterfly. As Reyes-Torres points out, Easy Rawlins, an African American private detective in Los Angeles, is the ‘trusted’ detective that members of the African American community can go to for resolution of problems that would normally be referred to the LAPD. Easy Rawlins recognizes his status as an African American detective and states: I had slipped into the role of confidential agent who represented people when the law broke down. And the law broke down often enough to keep me busy (Moseley, 5). Easy Rawlins is therefore indicating that there were significant tensions within the African American community which were further complicated by the lack of institutional support. Through the African American detective persona, Mosely not only symbolizes internal conflicts within the African American community, but tensions between the African American community and governmental institutions and in particular, the LAPD in Los Angeles. Reyes-Torres points out that the elevation of the African American detective in White Butterfly to a trusted agent is also a reflection of the risk of disorder resulting from the movement of many African Americans to Los Angeles at the time. Since, the LAPD could not be trusted to act honestly, members of the African American community needed someone that they could trust and turn to. Thus the person of the African American detective in White Butterfly is used to demonstrate the inadequacy of public institutions and law enforcement for meeting the needs of the African American community and the latter’s lack of confidence in their desire and ability to do so (Reyes-Torres, 140). In Moseley’s Devil in a Blue Dress, which was also a film, Easy Rawlins is introduced as a sympathetic figure, impacted by racism in Los Angeles just after the Second World War. Rawlins loses his job and is unable to keep up with his debts. The struggling African American with the weight of racism against him, turns to private detection as a source of income. In his first assignment which is to look for a woman named Daphne, some associates of Daphne are murdered. Easy Rawlins finds himself suspected of involvement and is arrested and subsequently released (Devil in a Blue Dress). In this regard, the person of the African American detective is highlighted through focusing on the trials and tribulations of the character rather than the plot itself. The character, Rawlins, is a reflection of the struggles African Americans confront through racial tensions and discrimination, which invariably lead to economic problems and contact with the criminal justice system. Double Conscious Detective The double conscious detective is a theme in African American detective film and fiction in which the African American detective is not altogether honest in that he or she recognizes the tensions between blacks and whites and uses it to his or her advantage (Soitos, 36). At the same time, the predominantly police force in which the African American detective has unique insight into the black communities in which law enforcement operates and this insight is used by white officers to solve crimes in the area (Soitos, 36). Essentially, the African American detective is fully aware of the differences between the African American community and the white community in which he now spends a large part of his time as a detective. As a result, there is a conflict and the African American develops a dual personality (Jezawi, 42). Himes (1957/1991) African American detectives Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones in A Rage in Harlem, are demonstrative of the trope of double conscious detectives in African American detective fiction (8). A Rage in Harlem is set in Harlem at a time when the hierarchal social and political order placed whites at the top of the power chain. Economic disparity created a sense of “desperation” which turned Harlem into an “engine of numerous scams and rip-offs” and influenced the conduct of those residing in Harlem (Rzepka and Horsley, 485). Himes dissatisfaction with white power politics and the economic inequities and marginalization of African Americans was expressed through Coffin Ed and Grave Digger (Rzepka and Horsley, 85). In order to get by in Harlem, a city where African Americans sat on the outer fringes of society, Coffin Ed and Grave Digger used their positions as police detectives to survive. In doing so they not only resorted to tricks, but also violence. Both, as armed detectives, did not hesitate to use their weapons on both African Americans and white Americans. At the same time, they used their special connection to and knowledge of the African American community to advance their careers and goals as detectives. For example, Coffin Ed and Grave Digger would take advantage of the fact that they were African Americans and enter places where their fellow white detectives would not dare to enter. Double conscious detection is also evident in White Butterfly. In this regard, Easy Rawlins plays a dual role in that he is a source of assistance to the African American community because he is black and at the same time, he is a source of assistance to law enforcement precisely because he is black. According to Easy Rawlins, law enforcement often came to him for assistance. In Easy’s words: You know all kinds of people in the community. You can go where the police can’t go. You can ask questions of people who aren’t willing to talk to the law (Moseley, 86). Thus Easy exemplifies the double conscious detection trope by illustrating how his role as an African American detective puts him in a position where he can take advantage of his special relationship with the African American community. Easy can take advantage of his special relationship with the African American community in furtherance of his own career as a private detective and if he chooses, can exploit the trust that the African American community has him him for the benefit of law enforcement. Conclusion This research paper analyzed the portrayal of African American detectives in film and fiction. In doing so, this paper used two of Soitos’ four tropes identifying themes in African American detective fiction and films. It can be concluded that in African American detective film and fiction, two of the four tropes, persona of the African American detective and the double conscious detective, are both persistent and strong themes. Each trope functions to distinguish the African American detective from classical detective fiction and film. This is accomplished through the persona trope by emphasizing character over plot. In both tropes, the emphasis is on the effect of racial and social struggles on the character are central elements. Characterization of the African American detective as a member of the African American community is of great significance to the African American detective narrative as opposed to whodunit themes. Obviously, there are films in which African Americans appear where no distinction is made between these detectives and other detectives. However, the films and book featured in this research paper identified themes indicative of a distinction between the African American detective and conventional detective representations. For the most part, African American detectives are symbolic of racial tensions in the US or other social issues relative to class and culture. The African American detective is a source through which these tensions and issues are mediated. At the same time, the African American detective narrative also provides insight into African American society and lifestyles in a way that merely highlights African American culture and pays little or no regard to race relations. Works Cited Bell, Bernard, W. The Contemporary African American Novel. Cambridge, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 2004. Devil in a Blue Dress. 1995. TriStar Pictures. Himes, Chester. A Rage in Harlem. New York, NY: Vintage Books, 1957/1991. Jezawi, Hanan. “Persona in American Hard-boiled Detective Fiction: A Study of Mosely’s Devil in a Blue Dress.” Jordan Journal of Modern Languages and Literature, (2012) Vol. 4(1), 35-50. Langbaum, R. “The Mysteries of Identity: A Theme in Modern Literature.” The American Scholar, (Autumn 1965), Vol. 34(4), 569-586. Mintz, Steven and Roberts, Randy, W. Hollywood’s America: Twentieth-Century American Through Film. West Sussex, UK: Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 2010. Mosley, Walter. White Butterfly. New York, NY: Washington Square Press, 1992. Pepper, Andrew. The Contemporary American Crime Novel: Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Class. Edinburgh, UK: Edinburgh University Press, Ltd., 2000. Rush Hour. New Line Cinema, 1998. Rzepka, Charles, J. and Horsley, Lee. A Companion to Crime Fiction. West Sussex, UK: Blackwell Publishing, Ltd. 2010. Soitos, Stephen, F. The Blues Detective: A Study of African American Detective Fiction. US: Braun-Brumfield, Inc., 1996. Reyes-Torres, Agustin. Walter Mosley’s Detective Novels: The Creation of a Black Subjectivity. Publicacions de la Universitat de Valencia, 2008. Read More