A question that I have personally
been asking myself is, “What does it mean to black?” In my context, I’ve been
struggling with the idea of what it means to be white and black, and trying to
figure out where I fit in. I really appreciate The White Boy Shuffle because Paul Beatty sort of creates my situation
in a way. Gunnar is black, however he is culturally white prior to moving to Hillside.
When Gunnar moves to Hillside, he struggles with the cultural aspect and I
think that is the major factor in what it means to be white and to be black.
Even though Gunnar is fully black, his experience is similar to my own because,
as I said in class, he is culturally mixed. I think that it’s never the skin
color itself, but the culture that we identify with skin color. I think this is
why I find it hard to think about for myself. My skin is neither black nor
white, so how I define myself culturally? Relating to Gunnar this way and
seeing him grow in these different environments has made me enjoy reading this
novel. It also has made me want to pursue my question more because I think that
I’ve always felt like me being biracial was a barrier for me, and maybe I
created that barrier myself, but if I did, why? Some fun stuff to think about J
Great post! You bring up some really interesting thoughts! I think that it is interesting how Gunnar essentially represents a biracial character, at least socially. This is one reason he has such a hard time adapting to his new home in Hillside. The slang is different and actions indicate different things. In one context he is the cool funny black guy and in the next he's a nerd. This reminded me a bit of Native Son where the protagonist is simply dropped in to different scenarios.
ReplyDeleteI loved your post, Mac! You made an interesting point that its not really the skin color itself that defines our culture, but rather what we attach to that skin color and others with that color. Gunnar felt displaced when he first moved to LA, and it took a series of beatings for him to find his place with Scoby. But when he did, I think he was able to still retain his nerdiness and humor he developed in Santa Monica and fit his personality into his new environment.
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