World War II had a profound impact on American culture. Essentially every person in the country was affected in some way, but the impact of the war on African Americans was unique. Although African Americans were indeed Americans, they were often treated as enemies on the home front. Racism was rampant in American society, even troops overseas were segregated. In some cases, people were able to see beyond this racism and see the war as a way to unite people and think about the common good. Others saw the war only as an example of racism. The novel If He Hollers Let Him Go by Chester Himes demonstrates this concept. In the story, a black man sees war as an extension of racism, but is pushed by a white man to use war as a tool to forget hostility in favor of unity. The racial status of whites and blacks directly affected how they interpreted the war. Because of his racial condition, the black man is unable to see the war from the white man's point of view. Contemporary critical analysis of If He Hollers Let Him Go has also made the connection between the character's racial status and his perspective on the war. The individual characters in the novel are representative of larger groups. Prominent writers in African American literature such as Henry Louis Gates commented on the racism many blacks endured during World War II. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay At the beginning of If He Screams, Let Him Go, Himes introduces the protagonist, Bob Jones, as he is waking up. Almost immediately, Jones begins to feel an intense fear creeping over him. Jones says he “started to feel scared…The realization came to him” (2). He explains that he wakes up like this every day and notes that this fear “came into my head first, somewhere behind my closed eyes, moving slowly under my skull to the base of my brain, cold and empty… I felt torn inside, withered, paralyzed, as if after a while I would get up and die” (2). physically, making him feel “cold and empty.” Furthermore, by using the words “withered” and “paralyzed,” Jones makes clear how debilitating his fear is. The cause of his fear is explained later in the passage of World War II are what contribute to his fears. Jones says that "every day I wake up like this, since the war started" (3). This suggests to the reader that it was the outbreak of World War II that triggered these feelings While the stress of living in a country at war may be a factor in his fear, Jones explains that a more important factor is the racism resulting from the outbreak of war. Jones thinks to himself, “Maybe I've been afraid my whole life, but I didn't realize it until after Pearl Harbor” (3). When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and declared war on America, they unleashed an incredible amount of hostility towards the Japanese in America. The reason this upsets Jones so much is because he compares prejudice against the Japanese to racism against blacks in America. Being black, Jones experiences this racism firsthand. He explains how he was denied service at restaurants on the basis of race, and when he applied for jobs, he “kept getting rejected while white guys were hired from the line behind [him]” (3). Jones' character isrepresentative of a larger group of African Americans. Jones' feelings in this scene aren't just about him. Many blacks during this time felt the same way. In an article on military inequality, Henry Louis Gates explains how African Americans viewed World War II. He writes that “it was difficult for African Americans not to see the hypocrisy between conditions at home and the war's noble goals” (pbs.org). Gates makes the same connection between race and the war effort as Jones in the novel. Due to the enormous amount of racism on the home front, many African Americans saw the war as a continuation of that racism. Later in the article, Gates builds on this idea, commenting how “because of the gap between the promise and realization of American freedom when it came to race relations, many blacks felt frankly alienated from the war effort” (pbs.org ). .Later in the passage, Jones states that he became even more aware of his fear when he saw the Japanese being sent away to internment camps: "Maybe it wasn't until I saw them sending the Japanese away that I thought I noticed [the fear]” (3). Consider how unjust this punishment is, saying: “It was taking a man by the roots and locking him up without a chance. Without charge. Without giving him even the chance to say a word” (3). Jones draws a parallel between the Japanese and African Americans, blacks were denied service or work “without a second thought,” and the Japanese in America were sent away from their homes “without both.” cases, groups of people are punished solely because of their race. Racism against the Japanese makes Jones fear that America could just as easily order African Americans to be placed in internment camps, or inflict similar treatment on them. He states that “it was thinking if they had ever done such a thing to me, Robert Jones, Mrs. Jones' dark son, that made me afraid” (3). With these words Jones clearly states that he felt threatened by the events of the Second World War. Jones uses the term “Mrs. Jones' Dark Son” to describe himself, making it clear that he believes his racial status is a major factor in his identity. Every morning he wakes up with the fear that the extremely racist treatment towards the Japanese could be inflicted on him too. In fact, Jones believes he is likely to receive this treatment because he has a similar skin color to the Japanese as Jones is a lighter-skinned African American. He states: “I was the same color as the Japanese and I couldn't tell the difference. “A Japanese man with a screaming belly” could have meant me too. I could always hear running problems, serious problems, never more than half a meter away” (4). By saying that he was "the same color as the Japanese" Jones explicitly acknowledges his resemblance to the Japanese. Not only are they the same color, but he believes they suffer the same treatment in America. This connection is what creates fear for Jones. The racism that Jones encounters on a daily basis influences him to see the racism towards the Japanese during the war as an indirect effect on him. In an article analyzing If He Hollers Let Him Go, the author, Lynn M. Itagaki, also drew the same conclusion. Explain how in the novel Jones felt he could potentially be a victim of racist acts against the Japanese. Itagaki writes that “By formally defining himself as 'Robet Jones,' Bob immediately resists racism and becomes its subject, marking himself as a potential victim. Noticing his 'yellow skin', Bob recognizes the literal similarities of skin color andof the race that could perhaps ally him with the Japanese” (68). It is clear that Jones' racial status influences how he views the events of World War II. The opening passage of If He Hollers Let Him Go demonstrates how the racial issues faced by African Americans on the home front influenced how they interpreted the war. . Because of the war, Japanese Americans were mistreated on the basis of race, which scared African Americans into believing that the racism endured on the home front could rise to the level of racism against the Japanese. Other parts of the novel also show how the characters' racial status influences their perspective of the war. In chapter 13, Jones speaks with a union steward named Herbie, and protests what he believes is racist treatment he received at work. Jones asks the steward to reprimand a white woman with whom he had an altercation while working. She made a racial slur towards him, and when he made one towards her, he was demoted. Jones tells Herbie "I want you to tell her she has to work with the niggers here or she'll lose her job" (113). The conversation becomes heated as Jones continues to express his frustration with the racism he believes is so prevalent in his work. Herbie counters by saying, "That's the problem with you black people...you forget we're at war." This is no time for private complaints. We fight fascism, we don't fight companies and we don't fight against each other, we all fight fascism together and to defeat fascism we must have unity” (114). In this case, Herbie urges Jones to recognize war as a symbol of patriotic solidarity. He repeatedly uses the term “we” to refer to America, which suggests that he feels unified since World War II. By saying “let's all fight fascism together” Herbie underlines his belief that Americans are all engaged in the battle against fascism, a common enemy. He asks Jones to forget his “private grievances” and consider the bigger picture. From his perspective as a white man, Herbie is able to see the war as an example of unification. This view differs from that of Jones, who, as previously mentioned, saw the war as an example of racism in America. However, by referring to Jones's problem as a "problem with you colored people," Herbie suggests that Jones's racial denunciation hinders the ability of other Americans (the "us") to be unified. This suggests that Herbie may not feel united with African Americans, even when he is trying to inspire unity. Jones angrily responds to Herbie's comment, shouting "What the hell do I care about unity, or even war, for that matter, as long as I'm getting kicked by every white person that comes along? Let the white people achieve some damn unity ” (115) With this statement, Jones is saying that the racism he encounters is what keeps him from caring about unity The phrase “kicked by every white person who comes along” emphasizes the amount of racism Jones encounters. He feels that in every single interaction he has with a white person, he is “kicked” or racially abused in some way. Because of this, Jones does not have the motivation to “care about unity, or even about war.” case is an example of how Jones' racial status affects how he views the war. He is unable to see the war from Herbie's perspective, because unity with the whites is something he could not imagine chapter, Jones considers what the effects would be if African Americans rejected the war by refusing to work in the military or the war. industries. He says: "Mi34>.