Journal 8: W.E.B. Du Bois

Michelle Romero
Eng 48B
Professor Lankford

From Chapter 1, The Souls of Black Folk:
"Then it dawned on me with a certain suddenness that I was different from the others; or like, mayhap, in heart and life and longing, but shut out from their world by a vast veil. I had thereafter no desire to tear down that veil, to creep through; I held all beyond it in common contempt, and lived above it in a region of blue sky and great wandering shadows."

Du Bois clearly illustrates the differences in privilege and treatment from white folk to black. He does this by identifying right away that this is "their" world he was living in, not his own. The rules of the game then were on "their" terms. In addition, he paints in a picture of this vast veil which separates the two. Even more impressive however, is his ambiguity whether this separation is a good thing or not.

Du Bois' The Souls of Black Folk is filled with evidence to support both ideas: the idea that separation of races or a marginal identity is beneficial, and the notion that it is oppressive in fact. For example, the way he sets the scene of a school aged young boy being harshly and abruptly rejected distinguishes the difference between the good guy and the bad right away. We are of course going to sympathize with the unfortunate young boy, the poor victim. On the other hand, this passage tells us that he did not have a desire to tear down the veil. What we do not know is why? Did he not want to attempt to dissolve this veil for fear of rejection again? Did he like being shut off from "their" world?

I would suggest that Du Bois realizes that dealing with marginal identity is a personal struggle. For him, he says he was able to live "above" his circumstances. However, he lived above in a world of blue sky and also "great wandering shadows." This last image leaves me with a feeling of lost souls. I have two reactions to this. My first is to say, who wants to be a lost soul? After all, isn't it at the center of every human being to discover and establish and identity for themselves and to fulfill their purposes in life. How then can this be accomplished if you are lost? On the other hand, I have to take myself away from initial bias and recognize the word "great." This can mean vast and would then lend support to my initial argument, or it may be used to show reverence for these lost souls. If the latter is the case, then Du Bois is illustrating the concept of togetherness and unity. He is saying to his readers, that as a lost and wandering soul, you are not alone.

This one passage is quite profound and can be interpreted in several different ways. The more times I read it, the more confused I am about what I believe is his intended message.