Souls Of Black Folk

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The Souls of Black Folk

2- DuBois repeatedly makes reference to a veil that separates himself from the world when he is a child. DuBois’ childhood was in New England, which was a fairly liberal area due to its Northern location. He uses the idea of a veil as an allegory in which he can see through the veil, but it is dark when he looks through it. This is a very descriptive and powerful when used in this way, because not only is the world through his eyes darkened, but so is he when looked upon by others, in the socialistic aspect. DuBois was a shadow that the other kids played with, but could never really touch because of his characteristics of not really existing. What is interesting is that DuBois doesn’t mind this at all because he enjoys his own world which has been made, he is surrounded by people who treat him as an outcast and inferior, yet he is much more intelligent and physically superior. He also speaks of how they are incarcerated in a prison-house closed around them with high walls that are unescapable, with the sky above them. This instantly draws my mind toward Bartleby’s jail when he just stood in a corner of a yard that was surrounded by high walls with grass in the center and sky above. All they need to do is get past these high walls and they are both free men, but the destruction of the wall will take the effort of thousands banging their palms against the walls to eventually break them down.

5- “ But the facing of so vast a prejudice could not but bring the inevitable self-questioning, self-disparagement, and lowering the ideals.” This seems to relate to Young Goodman Brown’s walk through the forest and his surrounding by the forest with darkness all around. The darkness for the blacks is the constant onslaught of prejudice by the whites, and even themselves. The path for the blacks to travel on is very small and must accommodate a vast number of people, which is very difficult, which slows down t...