No Day of Triumph Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

No Day of Triumph - Essay Example While being American brings about an idea of inclusion and equality, being black creates a sense of being an outsider and being separated from the mainstream. This dichotomy means that African Americans have to deal with the perception of others as well as a self-perception that could be colored by how others see them. In this respect, relationships become critical for the African Americans described in the stories since family, the idea of being connected to family values and the need to pass on the family heritage to the children is very important for the characters. While family supports and shapes the African American identity, in some ways it can also be a hindrance to the personal liberty and drive of an individual who seeks a different path. These act as the remnants of the slavery era in which freedom and being able to choose your destiny were not the options available to every African American. In fact, slavery also affects the viewpoints of white and Caucasian individuals described in the story since the idea of whites being the masters and blacks being slaves continues to reside in the cultural subconscious of the southern states where the story takes place. Perhaps the worse situation is experienced by the Mulatto who is neither black nor accepted by the whites as being a part of them. Even amongst African Americans, there is a level of awareness about being darker and thus more African than others and this difference is also reflected in the socioeconomic situation an African American can find himself in when the educated black person has to bear the burden of being better than others so that s/he can present a positive face for his/her race. These differences carry on with the love of religion which poor black people show in greater strength compared to those who are economically their betters. The