The Narrator

The narrator, who remains unnamed throughout the novel, is an African-American man living in an unspecified city in the American South. He is a father to Nigel, husband to Penny, and son of Sir and Mama. As a successful, smart, and well-spoken lawyer at a corporate law firm, the narrator has learned how to navigate the racism and discrimination forced upon him as a Black man, through a strategy of adaptation. As a kid, the narrator watched his beloved father, Sir, get arrested. The experience informed the narrator’s understanding of justice. Now, he does not attempt to resist or change racism, or the groups who use it. Instead, he has learned to attempt to blend in and be accepted by them.

Despite his desire to minimize the injustices he faces, he is also afflicted with deep self-loathing and anxiety which the author conveys through dark satire...