Christmas' Identity

Our discussion on identity today made me think about Christmas and his identity. More specifically, his racial identity. It seems as though he is most comfortable around white people. This is shown when he wanders  into Freedman Town (114). When he leaves, it becomes clear that he is repulsed by black people.

On the flip side, he doesn't seem to like white people either. On page 108, when he encounters a woman in a car, he calls the car's occupants "White bastards." I think that he believes that his black blood is important to who he is, but so is his white blood. I also think that his intense hatred of black people is a manifestation of his hatred of himself for being black.

Comments

[Emma J.]

Oh, that's interesting. I actually read Christmas's walk into Freedman Town differently. I read it as if Christmas actually wanted to be in an intimate black setting in Freedman Town, rather than wanting to avoid the black community. Knowing that he has greater chances of getting in trouble with the white community, he tries to create an escape, in which he uses his imagination to create an intimate, black community setting. He then returns to the "cold hard air of white people" (Faulkner, 115). Overall, I feel like Christmas feels more comfortable in black communities over white communities.

[Gianna P.]

I'm uncertain myself as to where I believe Christmas belongs or feels most comfortable. I do think that a key point is that no one, not even Christmas, is certain at this point of whether or not he is actually black. Whatever Christmas believes about himself in reference to his race is itself a manifestation and perhaps his frustration stems from such an uncertainty.