The Wife of His Youth

1988 Words8 Pages
In Charles W. Chesnutt’s short story, “The Wife of His Youth” there are several instances that expose the ways in which racial inequalities effected people after the Civil War. The fact that racism exists throughout all cultures is unfortunate, and Chestnutt gives us a horrifying reminder of the way that racial inequality was in America. Chestnutt takes an interesting stance in this story: even within colored communities, internal racism still exists. The main character, Mr. Ryder, indicates how society impacts his ideologies and morals through his selfishness, unreliableness, and deception. His prejudice beliefs illuminate the hypocrisy within his culture, and the compulsion of undermining their own heritage. Chestnutt uses the protagonist, Mr Ryder, as a doorway to illustrate the falseness in upholding a certain social supremacy and identity in his short story “The Wife of His Youth.” The story explains the transformation of one African American’s life; gone from being a slave to the Dean of a prestigious society. Mr. Ryder was a highly respected member of the Blue Vein Society, which only allows entry to those who meet their exclusive requirements. The purpose of the society itself was clear: “to establish and maintain correct social standards” and boundaries of exclusivity which will demarcate the domain of “the favored few.” Lorne Fienberg, who has studied closely the role color plays in Chestnutt’s story states that, “The black aspiration towards participation in a new republic assumed several dimensions: political responsibility and voting rights, education, the acquisition of property and wealth, and the cultivation of manners and cultural refinement.” All of these things are what Mr. Ryder aimed to achieve with the Blue Vein society. The lighter the person’s skin was, the more respect and acceptance they will receive from the members of the Blue Vein.
Open Document