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(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.
Robert Spiller observes that Wright's stories rely on a "cumulative effect of disgust and horror at the existence of his Southern negroes" (Spiller 1315) to give his work...
"Big Black Good Man" touches on this disgust by revealing just how incorrect we can be if we decide to judge a person on how they look. Jim and Olaf are two men that would be perceived one way if we just looked at them and hade to make a decision about their personalities. Jim is big and intimidating; in addition, he is black. Olaf does not give Jim the chance to demonstrate what kind of person he is before he decides on his own. This turns out to be a mistake in that Olaf wastes a time and energy hating and fearing this man that has no intentions of doing him any harm. In addition, Olaf seems to be a meek old what man that would never hurt anyone while he harbors some of the most passionate hate we have ever seen. He is the person that we should all fear because he does not give people a chance to prove themselves. He would rather believe that his opinion of someone is correct rather than give him or her a chance. Through these characters, Wright illustrates how it is impossible to judge a book by its cover and completely wrong to do so.
Works Cited
Alsen, Bernhard. "Richard Wright." African-American Authors. The African-American Experience Resource Database. Information Retrieved December 03, 2008. http://aae.greenwood.com
Ellison, Ralph. Modern American Literature. Vol. III. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co. 1969.
Marshall, Margaret. Modern American Literature. Vol. III. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co. 1969.
Spiller, Robert. Literary History of the United States. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. 1974.
Norvell, Candyce. "Critical Essay on 'Big Black Good Man." Short Stories for Students. 2005. Gale Resource Database. Information Retrieved December 03, 2008. http://www.infotrac.galegroup.com
Wright, Richard. "Big Black Good Man." The Riverside Anthology of Literature. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1991.
Works Cited
Alsen, Bernhard. "Richard Wright." African-American Authors. The African-American Experience Resource Database. Information Retrieved December 03, 2008. http://aae.greenwood.com
Ellison, Ralph. Modern American Literature. Vol. III. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co. 1969.
Marshall, Margaret. Modern American Literature. Vol. III. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co. 1969.
Spiller, Robert. Literary History of the United States. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. 1974.
Norvell, Candyce. "Critical Essay on 'Big Black Good Man." Short Stories for Students. 2005. Gale Resource Database. Information Retrieved December 03, 2008. http://www.infotrac.galegroup.com
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