Mark Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson is a "genealogical puzzle" of a novel in which the one-drop rule subjects the characters to a tragic existence. The pseudoscience of race and what constitutes whiteness and blackness are prevalent themes in Roxy's complex victimization. His self-loathing serves as the catalyst for Tom and Chambers' fate, as his decisions were based on his internalized racism and repressed white supremacy. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The term “double consciousness” was coined by WEB Du Bois in The Souls of Black Folk, which describes the internal conflicts of a minority group in an oppressive society. Regarding his own struggles, Du Bois clarifies that the general experience of African Americans is to view and evaluate themselves through a white perspective. Although Du Bois's article was published later than Pudd'nhead Wilson, Roxy is the perfect embodiment of double consciousness because "she had an easy and independent conduct - when she belonged to her own caste - and a high and “sassy” way” as “she was quite gentle and humble where the white people were.” She altered her identity depending on who she was with, ultimately using it as a self-defense mechanism to adjust “the duality…one American, one black; two souls, two thoughts, two irreconcilable efforts; two warring ideals in a dark body” as she continued to consider herself alone in a strictly black and white society. The problem she faces with her dual identity contributes to her self-destructive behavior and her projecting her insecurities onto Tom and Chambers. This then leads to the tumultuous relationship between "Tom" and Roxy, where Tom justifies his treatment of Roxy with pseudoscience. citing alleged biological differences between whites and blacks. For example, in Types of Mankind, Greeks and chimpanzees were depicted as true dichotomies, placing black people in between. Considering the time period in which the novel was written and set, research of this type would be cited as a credible source. So compare Roxy with Tom, who reprimands Roxy by teaching her "her place" since "things, coming from a 'nigger,'" were repugnant to her, and she was advised to keep her distance and remember who she was ". The dramatic irony of this scene is Shakespearean in nature (compared to The Comedy of Errors), as the audience knows that Tom and Chambers were switched at birth. As satirical as this scene is, it calls into question "the changing status of race relations in 19th-century America." The audience is left wondering what it means to have a tiny drop of “black blood” in your body and how that does or does not qualify a person as black – even as oblivious as Tom. This "thorny issue of race" is made all the more complicated by the fact that the idea of ​​nature versus nurture is brought up by Roxy when she informs Tom that his "cowardice comes from his Negro blood", which drove him to refuse the duel. This statement reiterates Roxy's internalized racism, which not only caused Tom's miserable fate, but continued to reinforce racism by claiming that her drop of black blood contributed to her gambling and violent behavior towards Judge Driscoll. As this interaction shows, Roxy revealed the truth about Tom's genealogy only because it was relevant to the conversation. Citing one of my previous research works, racism is not hereditary, but rather is learned from people who apply such ideas - or, in otherwords, is nourished. This dangerous cycle of exploitation and bias becomes inevitable due to groupthink behavior. Even Charles Darwin's theories, including Social Darwinism, were harmful because they allowed people to view black people as inferior beings seeking the "survival of the fittest." These harmful ideologies combined allowed white people to seek validation of how they treated African Americans, so much so that the ideology rubbed off on them - hence Roxy's reasoning for Tom's irrational behavior. Thus, Tom's tirade ends when he becomes aware of "the racial ideology of his slave mother." This inspires him to “think differently” by asking “why were Negroes and whites created and what crime did the first uncreated Negro commit that the curse of birth was decreed against him?” and “why is this terrible difference made between white and black?” ". He also recognizes "how hard the fate of the Negro seems to him this morning" compared to "last night because such a thought never entered his mind", emphasizing that a change in social position leads to a state of doom. different, more sympathetic spirit. However, for Tom, being black is worse than death, because he says to himself, “A nigger! I'm a nigger! Oh, I wish I were dead! ". The relevance of race was also brought up by Wilson, as he surmised that "Roxy's drop of black blood was superstitious because she thought there was some sort of devilry, witchy story about her mystery of glass somewhere". …it could have been an accident, but he doubted it.” Wilson's thoughts demonstrated the idea that people are racist when they are informed of a person's race. Otherwise, Roxy and Tom looked and appeared just as white as the other white characters "because they were white like anyone else, but Roxy's sixteenth who was black voted against the other fifteen parties and made “she’s a negro,” calling her. as “a slave and also salable as such.” The information about their drop of black blood causes people to think differently, which, again, was a notion reiterated by Roxy herself. As a result, Tom's behavior adapted accordingly to his new breed. For example, if Tom "met a friend...his arm would hang, instead of involuntarily reaching out to shake" because "the 'negro' in him asserted his humility, and he blushed and was confused." The consciousness and expectations associated with being black manifested themselves in Tom, subjecting him to the double consciousness described by Du Bois. Therefore, he does not “act black” because he is black, but because that is what society expects of him as a person of black blood. If the characters were to understand this, then "paradoxically, recognition of racism in their society could have been seen as a sign of commitment", but is never addressed outwardly. However, among the characters in Pudd'nhead Wilson, "Chambers" suffered the worst fate as he was rejected by both whites and blacks as he could not fulfill his "duties" as a white person nor fulfill or engage in the labor of enslaved black people. The end of the novel sums up Chambers as “rich and free, but in the most embarrassing situation”: “His walk, his attitudes, his gestures, his bearing, his laughter — everything was vulgar and crude; his manners were those of a slave. Money and fine clothes could neither repair these defects nor hide them; they only made them more garish and more pathetic. The poor boy could not bear the terrors of the white people's living room and only felt at home and at peace in the kitchen. The bench.