Blog #4

          “In Darkness and Confusion” , the communities start a Harlem riot because they think it is unfair for the protagonist, William Jones, whose son, Sam, has been shot and imprisoned for 20 years. From the title, William represents his “darkness” in his skin and in not knowing about what happened to Sam until late in that day. He really does not know why Annie May, who used to be a “nice little girl” has unacceptable behaviors. William even does not know what to write to Sam when Sam is away as a soldier. The neighborhood where William stays is bad, and he knows “” we gotta move this time for sure.”, but he cannot afford it. “ Darkness” is presented in describing the hallway “ so dark that he knew if he wasn’t careful he’d walk over a step”. However, William knows a big truth “ Sam’ s being in the army wasn’t so bad. It was in Georgia that was bad, They didn’t treat colored people right down there.”

           We can see that no matter poor and troubled human beings are, they can dream, not for themselves but for a better life for their children. William did not want Sam to work his job, And for me, the reason is so moved-“ It did not pay enough for a man to live on decently". As a human being. everybody needs decency. He does not aim too high; he simply wants Sam “ to have a job where he could make enough to have good clothes and a nice home”. He will earn it “wearing a starched collar . . . shined shoes and a crease in his pants.” Inspired by his employer, William decides that being “ druggist” or a pharmacist would be a suitable career for Sam.    

           The violence along both sides of the Twenty-Fifth Street caused from the riot demonstrated by black Americans does not surprised readers, who agree that William deserves the sense of power he has-“The violent, explosive sound fed the sense of power in him. Readers feels proud of Pink the same as William does.-“ Pink had started this. He was proud of her.” With Sam's imprisonment, his dream dies- “The words “twenty years” reechoed in his mind. I’ll be an old man, he thought. I may be dead before Sam gets out of prison”. I think it is painful and cruel to kill a man’s dream, especially when he is a black American with disadvantages.