The Witness by Ann Petry
"The Witness" by Ann Petry is a compelling short story that explores complex themes of race and identity through the experiences of Charles Woodruff, a retired English professor and recent widower. Set in Wheeling, New York, the narrative begins with Charles's hiring as an African American teacher, a position aimed at showcasing school integration. However, his journey quickly reveals the harsh realities of racial dynamics as he grapples with the expectations placed upon him as a model Black man.
The story intensifies when Charles intervenes during an assault on a white girl by a group of delinquent boys, leading to his own victimization. As he becomes a reluctant witness to the crime, he is confronted with the painful truth of racial perception, feeling that he is unjustly defined by his race rather than his character. The boys taunt him, highlighting the precariousness of his position as the only Black male in the situation, which ultimately forces him to flee in silence.
Petry's narrative powerfully underscores the notion that Charles, despite his efforts to fit into a role of exemplary behavior, cannot escape the reductive labels society imposes on him. The story serves as a poignant commentary on the systemic issues of race in America, challenging the idea of a singular representative identity. Through Charles's experience, readers are invited to reflect on broader societal assumptions and the painful implications of such expectations.
On this Page
Subject Terms
The Witness by Ann Petry
First published: 1971
The Work
“The Witness” is a short story about a man who is a victim of and witness to a crime. He must flee and the crime must go unreported. This story is of one person and one incident but is also the story of American race relations. Wheeling, New York, is seeking an English teacher and needs an African American to demonstrate that the schools are integrated. Charles Woodruff, a retired English professor from Virginia College for Negroes and a recent widower, is hired. Looking to change his environment, Charles decides to integrate Wheeling after he hears the school board is looking for “one” African American.
Charles accepts an invitation extended by the Congregational minister to help a group of delinquent boys. Charles is frustrated by his failure to reach the boys but is not surprised. He feels he is viewed differently from other blacks. Charles believes he is being assigned the role of the model, or exemplary, black man.
Following a class with the boys, Charles tries to intervene when the boys assault a white girl but is himself assaulted. The boys kidnap Charles and the girl. When Charles refuses to “take his turn” with the girl, the boys throw Woodruff, his keys, glasses, and wallet from the car. As they drive off with the girl unconscious on the floor of the car, they taunt Charles that he is their only witness. The boys and Charles believe that because he is a black male he will be implicated in the crime.
Charles realizes he is not the perfect “one” African American for Wheeling, New York. There is no perfect “one.” Charles must remain silent and flee Wheeling. As Charles drives away, he realizes that he is a “hot ho-daddy,” what the boys called him during the assault. Charles realizes that that is all he will ever be in the eyes of America. Woodruff is not the exception, not different, not the “one.”
Bibliography
Clarke, Cheryl. “Ann Petry and the Isolation of Being Other.” Belles Letters 5 (Fall, 1989): 36.
Madden, David. “Commentary.” The World of Fiction. Chicago: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1990.
Petry, Ann. “A MELUS Interview: Ann Petry—The New England Connection.” Interview by Mark Wilson. MELUS 15, no. 2 (Summer, 1988): 71-84.