My Cultural Criticism Essay

Somewhere in the Suburbs:

A Possible Explanation for White Reader Resistance

For my final paper, I feel compelled to revisit the one novel we have read that created the most resistance in me and would quite possibly do so in a significant population of my students: Walter Dean Myers' Somewhere in the Darkness. That the book is well written or valuable to readers, whether in general or as students, is irrelevant here -- I enthusiastically grant both. Of greater concern in this discussion is the notion of resistance to the book that could easily be encountered in my classroom with a particular population of suburban, white students, namely those who would seem to have the most in common with Jimmy and who, paradoxically, would most likely resist the book.[ADM1]

The students who comprise this group have much in common with Jimmy. They are largely lower-middle class and come from either fatherless homes, what might easily be considered dysfunctional two-parent homes, and/or live with extended families in lieu of their natural parents. In any case, the parent(s) are possibly absent from the home a great deal of the time, involved in a variety of dating practices and sexual promiscuity, caught up in illegal activity and often incarcerated or have been, oppressed by substance abuse of some type, and/or often living in an environment of either subtle or overt racism. I have made no effort to quantitatively justify the particulars of this description though such a study would undoubtedly prove enlightening. Rather, I assert this general description based on 12 years of experience in teaching these students and the observations I have made in teaching them to read literature. In some ways, we could easily view these students as insiders in that they share with Jimmy some elements of a common familial experience, but it is the cultural differences between white and black that make these readers outsiders and create resistance. Further, I do not suppose that my interpretations of black values are necessarily true since I am by definition an outsider to that culture. I am simply using my experiences working in a black urban setting for six years, teaching black students, reading black literature, and participating in various activities related to black culture as a context for this analysis, the possibility that my notions of black culture may be as erroneous as those of the students I discuss notwithstanding.

The resistance I wish to discuss arises out of various cultural predispositions assumed in the reader and can be found throughout the novel. The structure here is to establish how the resistance emerges early in the narrative and can culminate in a rejection of the book in the end (assuming the reader gets that far). An early situation in the book where this resistance is established is Jimmy’s relationship with his surrogate parent, Mama Jean. This relationship is certainly loving and reflects a healthy emotional bond between the two. Indeed, Jimmy has a great deal of respect for Mama Jean and does not wish to disappoint her. When Jimmy considers how he might return to school and explain his absence, he plays out a scene wherein he forges a note from Mama Jean to excuse his absence as sickness. As he visualizes this scenario, he reconsiders such a plan:

He could write one [a note] and sign Mama Jean’s name to it, he thought. Mama Jean would have a fit if she found out, though. She’d be hurt too. That was the worst part, the way she would look at him and be disappointed. He decided against writing the note. (Myers, 4)

Here, Jimmy considers hurting Mama Jean “the worst part,” which leads to the students’ worst resistance in relation to this circumstance. Frankly, these students would not consider Jimmy’s opposition to disappointing his “parent” believable, in no small part because they do not understand the respect given to the surrogate matriarch in black culture. Rather, they would see Mama Jean as someone to be deceived, the easier, the better. (In fact, I would go as far to say that these readers tend to perceive the caretaker in their homes -- whether single, dysfunctional, or surrogate -- as dupes to be manipulated because they are in some way wanting.) As insiders, these readers can identify with the situation, but as outsiders, they cannot empathize with Jimmy’s devotion to Mama Jean and the underlying value being placed on the replacement parent.

Related to this is the readers’ resistance that can be expected when Jimmy quietly capitulates to go with his father. This is not to say that Jimmy doesn’t resist going; he does, and the reader can identify easily with his reaction:

Jimmy felt bad. He didn’t know what to say or whether he should even go. He could just run out into the street and stay away until Crab had left, he thought. (Myers, 36)

Certainly, even my readers can empathize with Jimmy‘s reaction at this point. And, even if some of them would express an understanding that Jimmy wants to go just to get to know his father, many would not see that as a compelling reason to go. In my students’ culture, rebellion would be a given, perhaps even violent rebellion; they would perceive Jimmy’s actions here as weak or simply impossible. What they are missing is the patriarchal power inherent in black culture. The father has returned to claim his son: there is no debate of rights, what the child wants, or even what is best for the child (going with the father is assumed to be best). Mama Jean has served her purpose, but the father has returned to claim what is rightfully his. Outsiders such as my readers resist this idea even in the face of parental rights because they have grown up in a cultural system that puts individual rights ahead of cultural beliefs and differences and because those rights coincide with the values of their dominant culture. In other words, they are more concerned with the rights of Jimmy than with the powerful cultural belief that the father has a right to his son. This, combined with natural teenage rebellion, provides considerable interference to the readers in question.

Similarly and for other reasons that I will discuss, my readers would demonstrate considerable resistance to the end of the book when Jimmy forgives, or at least accepts, his father.

“Hey, man” -- he took a deep breath -- “I’m sorry.”

“I know, Daddy,” Jimmy said. “I know.” (Myers, 161)

In this case, Jimmy has finally accepted his father, something that my readers would have a hard time doing. First, they would have already been distanced from Jimmy for the reasons discussed in the previous two paragraphs: Jimmy’s relationship with Mama Jean and his willingness to simply leave with Crab. (In a larger discussion, other, conceptually identical reasons could be identified.) Second, they could never see themselves in Jimmy’s situation because they see no hope for such reconciliation in their own lives. Perhaps this is best seen as a difference between the author and the reader. As noted in class, Myers felt it was his responsibility to present hope to his culture and so he wrote the story with that hope in the end. (Soter, lecture) I do not know if black readers respond with acceptance to this hope so I am making no assertions regarding that; rather, I am asserting that my readers would not buy into it. They see no hope in their present situations and are vehemently unwilling to accept any pretense of hope or forgiveness in their real-life situations, especially if that hope is in terms of a black kid. Further, many of them see themselves as part of a dying or at least embattled culture anyway, having been made to feel guilty or morally bad through being irresponsibly taught about white privilege, being disregarded in discussions of racial tension, and being aware of the cultural stress around them. With that negative attitude firmly entrenched in their perceptions, they resist this book as impossibility: there is no hope for me or my kind.

A white reader’s resistance to Walter Dean Myers’ novel, Somewhere in the Darkness, is inevitable, particularly when that white reader has more in common with the protagonist than not. It seems the closer in circumstance the white reader is to Jimmy, the more he/she might resist to his cultural differences because those underlying cultural differences cause Jimmy to act in ways that seem unlikely to a white reader. The key is to be aware of those differences and be willing to see what Jimmy sees -- from his point of view. If we are willing to do that, then Myers’ work is a wonderful and effective way to learn not only about Jimmy and his culture but also about ourselves and the hopes we have for our lives.