To introduce my term paper “Race and Violence in Ann Petry’s The Witness” I want to start with the definitions of the three terms race, racism and violence mentioned in the title. Regarding to the expressions I want to say something about the U.S. history, and about the current situation in the United States of America, with reference to the African American people.
The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary explains race as follows: “one of the main groups that humans can be divided into according to their physical differences, for example the colour of their skin; a group of people who share the same language, history, culture, etc.”
Racism means “the unfair treatment of people who belong to a different race; violent behaviour towards them; the belief that some races of people are better than others”
The history of racism in the United States of America goes back to 17th century and should have come to an end with the American Civil War (1861–1865) and the abolition of slavery (1865). Unfortunately, the abolition of slavery was not the end of the African American martyrdom. It was the beginning of prejudices, discrimination, violence and struggle. When we think of racism against African American people, we think of a long and torturous way African Americans had to go and still go nowadays.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Ann Petry- An African American Writer (based on Holladay17ff)
3. Miss Muriel and Other Stories- “The Wheeling Stories”
4. Summary of Ann Petry’s The Witness
5. Analysis of The Witness
Themes
Symbols
6. Conclusion
7. Sources
Objectives and Core Topics
This paper examines the themes of race, racism, and violence in Ann Petry’s short story "The Witness," exploring how the protagonist, Charles Woodruff, experiences alienation and racial conflict within a predominantly white community.
- The intersection of race, power, and violence in Petry’s narrative.
- Psychological impacts of racial alienation and the "black man's burden" in a white environment.
- Symbolic interpretations of the setting, nature, and the protagonist’s perceptions.
- The socio-political context of the 1960s and 1970s reflected in Petry’s work.
- The author's role and historical significance within African American literature.
Excerpt from the Book
Symbols
The opposites black and white are crystal clear symbols in the Petry’s short story. Charles Woodruff uses the term white to describe Wheeling and its people.
Black stands for Woodruff himself and for his dead wife Addie who is still present for him: “an image of Addie- dark-skinned, intense, beautiful”. In contrast to this stands the description of the boys. When he describes the outlaws he also uses the term black, but he means a different kind of black: “Though he thought of them as being black, this was not the blackness of the human flesh, warm, soft to the touch […]”. In general, Woodruff sees blackness as something positive. It reminds him of his lovely wife. But with the boys it is different. They seem to be fiends from hell, the quintessence of terror. They drive a loud and rusted car “back-firing sounds made by the spent motor were like a series of gunshots”. When Woodruff looks at the guys during the lesson, he sees the evil sitting in front of him, staring at him and he feels uneasy realizing that something dreadful could happen to him. The following part shows Woodruffs terrible premonition:
“[…] they could pass for the seven dark bastard sons of some old and devil twelfth-century king. Of course they weren’t all dark. Three of them were blond, two had brown hair, one had red hair, only one had black hair. All of them were white. But there was about them an aura of something so evil, so dark, so suggestive of the far reaches of the night, of the black horror nightmares, that he shivered deep inside himself whenever he saw them.”
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The author defines key terms like race, racism, and violence while establishing the historical and current context of racial struggle in the United States.
2. Ann Petry- An African American Writer (based on Holladay17ff): This chapter provides a biographical overview of Ann Petry, highlighting her literary achievements and her position within the Chicago Renaissance.
3. Miss Muriel and Other Stories- “The Wheeling Stories”: This section explores the thematic and geographic cohesion of the "Wheeling" stories within Petry’s short story collection.
4. Summary of Ann Petry’s The Witness: The chapter outlines the plot of "The Witness," detailing the experiences of the protagonist, Charles Woodruff, as a teacher in a small, predominantly white town.
5. Analysis of The Witness: This chapter offers an in-depth literary critique of the story, focusing on core themes like alienation and racism, and symbols such as the moon, the beetle, and the color white.
6. Conclusion: The conclusion synthesizes the findings, characterizing the protagonist's response to trauma and emphasizing Petry’s contribution to realistic depictions of African American struggle.
7. Sources: A comprehensive list of bibliographic references and internet sources used for this seminar paper.
Keywords
Ann Petry, The Witness, African American literature, race, racism, violence, alienation, Charles Woodruff, Chicago Renaissance, Miss Muriel and Other Stories, social prejudice, identity, symbols, black-white conflict, literary analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper primarily focuses on the literary analysis of Ann Petry's short story "The Witness," investigating the representation of systemic racism, individual alienation, and violence.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The main themes include racial discrimination, the psychological impact of being a minority in a white community, the symbolic use of nature and colors, and the internal struggle of the protagonist.
What is the central research question?
The research explores how Petry utilizes the protagonist's experiences to articulate the complexities of race, power dynamics, and the "black-white" conflict in mid-20th century American society.
Which scientific methods are applied?
The paper employs a qualitative literary analysis method, examining textual evidence, biographical context, and comparative literary criticism to interpret the story.
What does the main body of the work address?
It covers a detailed analysis of the protagonist's interactions, symbolic motifs (like the moon and the beetle), the social environment of the story, and the author's personal background influence.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key concepts include Ann Petry, The Witness, racial alienation, identity, social prejudice, and literary symbolism.
How does the protagonist, Charles Woodruff, view his own environment?
Woodruff initially views the all-white town as a place where he does not belong, feeling a sense of profound alienation and observing the environment through the lens of racial awareness.
Why does Woodruff refrain from reporting the crime he witnesses?
Woodruff is paralyzed by the fear that his word as a black man will not be believed against the testimonies of seven white teenagers, fearing the social and professional repercussions.
How is the concept of "witnessing" subverted in the story?
The story explores the irony of Woodruff as a "witness" who, due to social power dynamics and fear, is unable or unwilling to testify, thereby becoming a victim of his own environment.
What is the significance of the "black beetle" symbol?
The beetle serves as a projection of Woodruff's own feelings of vulnerability, insignificance, and premonition of danger within the cold, white-dominated landscape.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Jeannette Nedoma (Autor:in), 2008, Race, Racism and Violence in Ann Petry’s 'The Witness', München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/126506
