The Blacker the Berry by Wallace Thurman
"The Blacker the Berry" is a significant novel by Wallace Thurman, published during the Harlem Renaissance and recognized as his first and most notable work. The title draws from an African American folk saying, suggesting a complex interplay between race and identity. The story revolves around Emma Lou, the protagonist, who grapples with the societal pressures and prejudices related to her dark skin within both her family and the broader African American community. As Emma Lou navigates various environments—her family in Idaho, college peers in Southern California, and the vibrant community in Harlem—she faces discrimination and rejection based on her appearance, which shapes her self-perception and identity.
The novel highlights the "burden of blackness" as Emma Lou encounters derogatory labels and societal norms that favor lighter skin tones. Despite these challenges, her journey ultimately leads her toward self-acceptance and understanding of her identity. Thurman's exploration of the nuances of race, colorism, and personal identity makes "The Blacker the Berry" a landmark work in African American literature, offering a critical examination of intracommunity prejudices and the complexities of self-identity in the context of racial discrimination. The novel remains relevant for its candid portrayal of the struggles faced by individuals within marginalized communities.
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The Blacker the Berry by Wallace Thurman
First published: 1929
The Work
The Blacker the Berry: A Novel of Negro Life is Wallace Thurman’s first novel and perhaps his most well-known work. The title is part of an African American folk saying: “The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice.” The Blacker the Berry was written during the Harlem Renaissance. Thurman’s novel was among the first to explore prejudice within the African American community and was consequently controversial.
The identity of the novel’s protagonist, Emma Lou, as well as that of the other characters, is directly related to the color of their skin. Emma Lou bears the “burden of blackness” in a family that has been striving to become lighter with every generation. During the course of the novel, Emma Lou acquires several identities. These identities are placed upon her by her family in Idaho, her college peers in Southern California, the community in Harlem, and herself.
As a teen Emma Lou’s attitude reflects her family’s rejection of her very dark coloring. Like her blue-veined grandmother, Emma identifies herself as the only black student in an all-white student body. Because of her jet-black skin, it seems inevitable that Emma Lou will never amount to anything.
Entering college on a campus hosting other African Americans, Emma Lou soon discovers that her black skin makes her unpopular. Men on campus identify Emma Lou as “Hottentot.” A very derogatory term, popular during the 1920’s, “Hottentot” was applied to young women who had pronounced African features. Likewise, she is rejected from the black women’s society because she is not “high brown.”
Relocating after college, Emma Lou seeks a new identity in Harlem as a teacher. In trying to make herself lighter, Emma Lou only succeeds in acquiring a clownlike identity. The arsenic wafers and excessive makeup result in an “ugly purple tinge” on her face. Emma Lou becomes involved in an abusive relationship with a Filipino mulatto.
Emma Lou triumphs in the end, as she finally accepts who she is and what she looks like. The Blacker the Berry was a landmark in its subject matter.
Bibliography
Bell, Bernard W. The Afro-American Novel and Its Tradition. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1987. Argues that because his heroine’s life so closely parallels his own, Thurman fails to maintain the distance that would have made his novel more effective. Like Thurman himself, Bell writes, Emma Lou “lacked the will and community support to explore the cultural alternatives of her shame.”
Bone, Robert. The Negro Novel in America. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1958. Suggests that in the character of Emma Lou, Thurman is working out his own conflicting feelings about his race and his identity. While in this novel he seems to have reached some resolution, in Infants of the Spring he reverts to bitter uncertainty.
David, Arthur P. From the Dark Tower: Afro-American Writers, 1900 to 1960. Washington, D.C.: Howard University Press, 1974. Describes The Blacker the Berry as a “really moving book” despite its “sledgehammer” approach to a complex issue. Praises Thurman for daring to use a dark-skinned girl as his protagonist.
Gayle, Addison, Jr. The Way of the New World: The Black Novel in America. Garden City, N.Y.: Anchor Press, 1975. Includes an excellent analysis of The Blacker the Berry emphasizing the problem of black identity, which is in part a result of the “aspirations of the black middle class.” The theatrical productions mentioned in the novel symbolize the confusion of roles in real life.
Henderson, Mae Gwendolyn. “Portrait of Wallace Thurman.” In The Harlem Renaissance Remembered, edited by Arna Bontemps. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1972. Relates The Blacker the Berry to Thurman’s own uncertainties about the function of the black artist. Believing that one should concentrate on universals, not on “propaganda” about specific issues, Thurman was not happy with the novel.
Hunger, Margaret L. Race, Gender, and the Politics of Skin Tone. New York: Routledge, 2005. Includes a chapter on The Blacker the Berry and discourses of ethnic legitimacy.
Thomson, Maxine D., and Verna Keith. “The Blacker the Berry: Gender, Skin Tone, Self-Esteem, and Self-Efficacy.” In Race, Work, and Family in the Lives of African Americans, edited by Marlese Durr and Shirley A. Hill. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2006. Discusses the effects of racial and gendered codes upon characters’ feelings of self-worth in Thurman’s novel.