Charles W. Chesnutt, an American author, wrote The Wife of His Youth, a short story first published in July 1898. Chesnutt was born in Cleveland to free parents. Furthermore, he is known for realism, local color and folk tales. Chesnutt writes African-American characters who challenge racial stereotypes and loves to explore race, in particular, the issues of mixed-race people and social tensions in the South. The Wife of His Youth is about a bi-racial man named Mr. Ryder, born before the Civil War. He is the head of the Blue Veins Society, a social organization for people of color in a northern town made up of people who appear more white than black. Mr. Ryder's story focuses on realism, analysis of race relations and folk tales. Chesnutt leaves so many questions unanswered about this story, but the real question is: why? The story begins at the Blue Vein dance, where Mr. Ryder intends to propose to his fiancée, who is a very light mixed-race woman from Washington, DC. Mr. Ryder will also give a speech at this ball. Meanwhile at the ball he meets a plain-looking old black woman, "Liza Jane". “Liza is looking for her husband Sam Taylor, whom she hasn't seen in twenty-five years. She tells Mr. Ryder that she was married to Sam before the Civil War, when she was enslaved and Sam worked for her master's family. «Liza being a free black, the family tried to sell Sam into slavery. Mr. Ryder suggests to her that Sam may have died, remarried someone, or even gotten over his love and that may be why he hasn't returned. 'Liza is determined to find Sam and he has even promised to come back and free her. As the Blue Vein Dance began, Mr. Ryder was trying to concentrate on his speech, but he couldn't keep it... halfway. paper......either recognize it or not. Chesnutt also suggests that mixed-race people are stereotyped as not wealthy or sophisticated. Regionalism and Local Color are types of realism that focus on the customs, language, and culture of specific regions of the United States. . The ending suggests that it is an example of realism because ordinary Americans want to have choices and logical reasoning behind every situation. Ordinary Americans sometimes want other people to be truthful even if it might hurt someone else's feelings. Furthermore, they want other people's opinions to help them make logical decisions in life. There are still some unanswered questions about Chesnutt. What does Mary Dixon think of the story? How could Mr. Ryder not recognize "Liza Jane" at first? Chesnutt will continue to create unanswered questions in his stories, which makes the story even more exciting.