Judging books by their covers: limitations and misconceptions

¶ … Judging a Book by its Cover

We repeatedly hear that it is impossible to judge a book by its cover and nothing proves this to be more true that Richard Wright's short story, "Big Black Good Man," where people are not quite what they appear to be. In the story, the two men are complete opposites from one another and while we are tempted to form an opinion about them according to stereotypes, Wright illustrates why we should never do such a thing. Olaf judges Jim by how he looks and behaves, a judgment that turns out to be misguided, proving himself nothing more than a silly, old racist. Olaf allows his preconceived notions influence what he thinks about Jim even though Jim never does anything directly to Jim to deserve it. Olaf's thoughts allow us to understand racism. It is through Olaf that we discover the irony of prejudice in the story. In short, the man we should fear is the one behind the counter, not the man that looks like he squash a man if he wanted. In the end, Jim reveals that he is not the black beast that Olaf has feared throughout the story, demonstrating that a man's character cannot be determined by his appearance alone.

Olaf is the quintessential racist white man, fearing a black man that happens to be larger and stronger than he is. Margaret Marshall observes that Wright's stories lay bare the "lower depths of the human relationships between the blacks and the whites" (Marshall 417). Olaf illustrates this when we read that he was tempted to "refuse a man a room solely on the basis of the man's size and color" (Wright 263). It is important to note that Olaf is completely aware of his feelings and why but he does not feel compelled to do anything about them. He gives Jim a room but is not happy about it; when he discovers that Jim is a wealthy black man, we see even more resentment. We read, "Resentment clogged his pores of his wrinkled white skin" (Wright 264). In addition, without provocation, Olaf cannot "shake off a primitive hate for that black mountain if energy" (266). Olaf lives a life filled with hatred because he is prejudiced but he does not think that he is. In fact, he denies the thought only to follow it by stating that God should not make men that are so big and so black. Olaf is like every other individual that does not think there is anything wrong with him or her. It is easy to find fault in others and even easier to justify our own silly behavior. However, Olaf has the bigger problem of the two men because his trouble lives in his own heart.

Through Olaf's thoughts, we are able to understand how racism exists in the human mind and how that plays out in life. Ralph Ellison maintains that Wright attempts to "discover and depict the meaning of Negro experience; and to reveal to both Negroes and white those problems of a psychological and emotional nature which arise between them when they strive for mutual understanding" (Ellison 420). We understand the complications Jim might encounter through Olaf's behavior. By revealing Olaf's behavior this way, we understand how outrageous it is. Alsen asserts, "Wright did not care if his work was 'indecent' or if the public liked it. One of his chief concerns was to achieve a 'dramatic realism' that would destroy the stereotypical image the public had of African-Americans" (Alsen). Every reference to Jim is associated with blackness, as if this is something to be feared. He is called a mass, a giant, and a mountain but never a man. Wright accomplishes this with the character of Jim, a passive-aggressive racist at heart.

At the heart of the story is the irony of Olaf's prejudice. Candyce Norvell contends:

The story asks readers to consider whether traditional gauges of morality... are really accurate measures of a man's goodness. It demonstrates that a man may live a conventionally moral life and still walk around seething with hate toward another man who has done him no harm. (Norvell)

This is revealed at the end of the story when Olaf realizes that Jim never intended to kill him but simply do something nice for him. It is interesting to note that while Jim drinks and spends time with prostitutes, he is the one that offers a nice gesture toward Jim. Olaf would appear to be the nicer of the two men, given that he does not drink and carry on like Jim does. Olaf seems nice and keeps most of his thoughts to himself; this is precisely why we should not trust him. Jim might be perceived as the more aggressive and frightening of the two because he towers over six feet tall. Wright uses these images to illustrate how looks can, and usually are, deceiving. Wright keeps us guessing about Jim until the end of the story; he leads us on with Olaf's thoughts and fears.

The heart of a man becomes a theme in this story because we cannot see a man's heart when we look at him. Olaf could not see Jim's heart but it would have benefited him to attempt it before making a judgment call. Jim cannot see Olaf's heart because if he could, he would have been justified in at least giving him a piece of his mind. Instead, Olaf is just a man in Jim's eyes. At the end of the story, Jim considers Olaf a nice enough person to consider good. We are left to wonder just how good he would think he was if he knew what Olaf thought about him. Olaf would be ashamed for others to see that heart and he would undoubtedly encounter danger and possibly harm if his heart could be read. Olaf does call Jim a good man at the end of the story but he places big and black before the word good as if to emphasize the fact that looks still come first. Jim, with his good heart, does not even take offense to Olaf's remark - another testament to his good nature.