The Kind of Light That Shines on Texas by Reginald McKnight
"The Kind of Light That Shines on Texas" by Reginald McKnight is a poignant narrative that explores themes of racism, self-identity, and growing awareness through the eyes of Clint, an African American boy navigating life in a predominantly white elementary school in Waco, Texas. The story highlights Clint's initial disdain for his classmate Marvin Pruitt, stemming from internalized racism and societal stereotypes that shape his perception of his peers. As he interacts with his classmates and teacher, Mrs. Wickham, Clint grapples with feelings of shame and conflict regarding his racial identity, particularly in the face of bullying from a white classmate, Kelvin Oakley.
The narrative delves into the complexities of racism, as it portrays not only the external pressures from peers but also Clint's internal struggle to reconcile his feelings about both Marvin and himself. Through a series of confrontations and realizations, Clint begins to shift his perspective, ultimately recognizing the humanity in both Marvin and Ah-so, another African American classmate. The story vividly captures the tension and challenges of adolescence intertwined with racial dynamics, providing insight into how individuals confront and overcome deeply ingrained prejudices.
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The Kind of Light That Shines on Texas by Reginald McKnight
First published: 1989, as short story; 1992, as short story collection
Type of plot: Psychological
Time of work: The mid-1960's
Locale: Waco, Texas
Principal Characters:
Clint , an African American boy who lives in Waco, TexasMarvin Pruitt , his classmate, a dark-skinned African AmericanAh-so , his classmate, a large silent African American girlKelvin Oakley , an older student, a white bullyMrs. Wickham , his white teacher
The Story
"The Kind of Light That Shines on Texas" is told in first person by Clint, an African American boy in a predominantly white elementary school in Waco, Texas, who must deal with his own racism before he can see his African American classmates as fully human. The first line of the story indicates Clint's active dislike for one of his African American classmates, Marvin Pruitt. His reasons for this dislike are too clear: Marvin epitomizes certain negative stereotypes of African American males. Marvin is dark-skinned, smells bad, is two grades behind, and is hostile. Clint largely ignores a second African American classmate, Ah-so, a heavyset girl, who is also behind in school, but obviously not stupid; she simply refuses to speak.
Their sixth-grade teacher, Mrs. Wickham, makes little effort to hide her racism. She ignores Marvin, who sleeps away most of the day, she narrows her eyes in disapproval whenever Clint answers a question correctly, and she badgers Ah-so with questions even though this girl steadfastly refuses to speak. Mrs. Wickham frequently regales her students with harmless racist jokes. Clint even laughs at her jokes.
The white children, when not outright hostile, show little understanding of their own racist attitudes. One boy assumes that Clint should feel ashamed of Marvin because they share the same skin color. Clint does feel ashamed: ashamed of Marvin and ashamed of himself for feeling the way that he does about Marvin.
One white boy, Kelvin Oakley, proves to be real trouble for Clint. Oakley constantly refers to Clint with racist slurs and expresses a desire to kill him on a nearly daily basis. Clint does his best to ignore Oakley's slurs and to avoid the older, bigger boy. One day the school coach gives Oakley the chance he has long awaited to hurt Clint. Following a relatively innocent game of murderball, the coach replaces the large, squishy red rubber balls with hard-pumped volley balls.
He sets the boys to play against each other; the usual rules of the game are suspended. Surprisingly, Clint wins this game with a hit on Oakley's nose, leaving the older boy flat on his back and bleeding profusely.
Clint, however, knows that retribution will follow. Shortly afterward, Clint faces Oakley in the locker room. Oakley now threatens to get Clint after school. Marvin Pruitt is standing innocently by, combing his hair. Clint demands, "Why not him? . . . How come you're after me, not him?" Clint manages to escape Oakley that afternoon, but he cannot escape the implications of his own words. That evening, Clint keeps trying to reassure himself that he did not mean his words that way, but Clint knows in his heart that he did mean those words, exactly the way that they sounded.
The next day, Oakley predictably picks a fight with Clint. Clint demands that Oakley call him the worst of racial epithets, "nigger." Marvin Pruitt sees what is going on, disdainfully brushes Clint aside, and proceeds to pound Oakley. After the fight is all over, Marvin simply stares down Clint. The school morning goes on as usual with the pledge of allegiance and the songs of Texan pride. However, a chastened Clint now looks at and sees Ah-so for the first time as a girl with a pleasant face and a pretty smile.