Is There Racism Within a Race (Reaction to Wife of His...

Racism has been a very prominent issue most commonly between black and white people. Although it is the most known, it is not the only example of race discrimination. It occurs among other ethnicities and backgrounds of people also. Sometimes race can occur because of people’s views on things, such as religion, age, or even gender. In â€Å"The Wife of His Youth† racism and some forms of discrimination are present in the story, but surprisingly it isn’t one race against another. It is black on black racism, or more specifically the mulattos, having light skinned complexion, and the darker skinned blacks. In â€Å"The Wife of His Youth,† there is an organization by the name of the Blue Veins who is supposed to be a society of â€Å"colored† people. â€Å"Its†¦show more content†¦In the story, it is said â€Å"she looked like a bit of the old plantation life summoned up from the pasty by the wave of a magician’s wand.† (The Wif e of His Youth 627) When he first considers not accepting her, it is because of her the way she looks and more specifically, her skin tone. That itself is an example of racism against your own race. It seems that mulattos were blessed and cursed. They were blessed because they could blend in easier with white society, but at the same time they had to decide was it worth turning their backs of the people of darker complexion who would already accept them as they are. â€Å"The Wife of His Youth† showed that racism could exist in other ways. In this case, it showed that there was racism and some discrimination against one’s own race. The story depicted these images through the Blue Vein Society and some inner conflicts of Mr. Ryder. The Blue Veins having only mulattos in their group, and Mr. Ryder having to deal with his past. Racism still exists today, but it is not so out in the open. It comes in forms of one race against another, same race, religion, gender, and many other issues. Works Cited Chestnutt, Charles W. The Wife of His Youth. The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. Ed. Henry L. Gates and Nellie Y. McKay. 2nd ed. New York.Show MoreRelatedThe Sixties: A Decade of Rebellion Essay1630 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans† (Kennedy 916). With these words, John F. Kennedy in his inaugural address in 1961 described the 1960’s decade. 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