Mrs. Bibbs, like most white characters in the novel, represents one facet of the oppressive society that confronts Richard from birth. In this case, she articulates the white assumption that blacks are inherently suited to menial labor. Therefore, when she hires Richard to do chores around her house, she is astounded to learn that Richard cannot milk a cow.
In the novel, Mr. Crane stands for the liberal whites who are well-meaning, but ultimately too weak to stand up to the prevailing racism of their society. Mr. Crane is a Yankee business man who owns an optical company in Jackson and he wants to take on a black boy with the enlightened notion of teaching him the trade of optics. Richard shows promise because of his algebraic skill, so Crane.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 2,101 words. This
study guide contains 24,482 words (approx. 82 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our Black Boy Access Pass.
