It is somewhat difficult to judge the extent of Crane’s
genuine sympathy toward Richard because Wright does not comment
on it. We can only assume Wright does not comment on Crane’s attitude because
he wants us to think for ourselves about how racism—or rather our
conceptions of racism—make it difficult to form a definite impression
of others’ intentions. Racism is a difficult problem not just because
of its overt violence and discrimination, but because it often operates
in much more subtle forms. Mr. Crane clearly shows Richard some
degree of kindness, but something nonetheless prevents him from
treating Richard as an equal.
Chapter 11 is a chapter of reversals.
In the overall context of Black Boy, the move to
the city itself represents a reversal. Richard’s agonizing small-town
life is quickly replaced by a surprisingly comfortable life in the
city. In the process, he exchanges despair for hope and antagonistic
relationships for easy and trustful ones. Likewise, another reversal
occurs when Bess shifts from passionately declaring her love for
Richard to passionately declaring her hatred for him. Moreover,
Richard does not believe he merits Mrs. Moss’s and Bess’s trust
because he is hustling them, but then he himself is hustled when
the white and black strangers team up and use him to unload the
bootleg liquor. Wright presents these last two events in such away
that they achieve a meaningful symmetry—Richard’s “hustling” of
Bess and her mother is balanced by his being hustled the next day.
At the center of all of these changes lies the city, a setting Wright
presents as a highly dynamic place, where tremendous changes and
shifts occur in short spans of time.
