This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Jua, R. M. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Ralph Ellison and the Paradox of Juneteenth

University of Buea, Cameroon, maijua{at}yahoo.co.uk

The question of identity has remained crucial in the American psyche and has been reflected in all of its literature. By and large, Juneteenth in a paradoxical manner also attempts a definition of the American identity. Delving into the lives of and relationship between Daddy Hickman and Bliss/Sunraider, Ellison demonstrates that essentially there is no difference between a Black man and a White man. This is amplified throughout the novel by the movement the Black characters make from the periphery at the beginning of the story to the very heart and soul of the novel. The convergence of the lives of Bliss/Sunraider and Hickman is reflected as they reminisce and echo each other. A symbol throughout the novel as he begins life in the coffin/womb, Bliss/Sunraider, now a U.S. senator but formerly a preacher and then subsequently a movie man, will be shot at by his son with a Black woman. As Bliss/Sunraider and Hickman look back at the trials and tribulations of their lives, Ellison lets readers see in no small way that they are only men, one no better than the other

Key Words: Ralph Ellison • Juneteenth • paradox • American

Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 35, No. 3, 310-326 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/0021934703258994


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?