Jordan Henges
English 2089
Professor Murdock
06 September 2015
Wideman Project: Week 2
Our Time by John Edgar Wideman is a story surrounding two brothers and their
lives. The author John Wideman is interviewing his younger brother Robby, who is in
jail. Both of their stories intertwine and depict different parts of their lives, together and
separate. One constant that both brothers come back to time and time again is their
hometown of Homewood. Homewood and how they grew up had a huge impact on
where they are throughout the story.
John Wideman is a writer/scholar and was the second African American to ever
become a Rhodes Scholar. He was born in Washington D.C. in 1941 but grew up in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. “ A number of his works reflect the Pennsylvania environments
where he has lived, particularly the Homewood district of Pittsburgh and the area near the
University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.” (Lubin, Matt.) To truly understand Our
Time, we must know a little more about Homewood. Homewood is a mostly African
American neighborhood located near downtown Pittsburgh. It’s a small community with
a lot of poverty and high crime rates. “Homewood is challenged by a vicious circle of
poverty as approximately 45% of households were below the poverty line in 2009.”
(Rebuilding.) Many people have tried to start rebuilding Homewood to try and make it a
better neighborhood. However even today it’s considered a “bad” neighborhood.
In Our Time, Wideman is interviewing his brother who’s in jail for robbery and
murder. Throughout the story we see the impact Homewood made on his brother, which
led him down a path of drugs and crime. Even though Wideman himself grew up in
Homewood and became successful most others don’t get out. “Because Homewood was
self-contained and possessed such a strong personality, because its people depended less
on outsiders than they did on each other for so many of their most basic satisfactions,
they didn’t notice the net settling over their community until it was already firmly in
place.” (435.) Wideman uses this analogy of a net tightening over Homewood, which in
turn has led to this cycle of poverty. It is hard for people to break out against societal
restraints, racism and poverty. There gradually became two sides, Homewood vs. the
World. The world consisted of police, the government, white hate and fear. These
restraints easily leave people stranded in Homewood without many options or like Robby
in jail.
Robby’s story starts with the death of his friend Garth. Garth had been feeling
sick for awhile and went to the clinic three times before the doctor’s figured out he was
sick. But at that point it was too late Garth was dying. Robby and his mother blamed “the
man” and society for the death of Garth. “ And a dead nigger ain’t really such a big deal
when you think about it. Matter of fact you mize well forget the whole thing.” (427.)
They thought as most in Homewood did, nobody cared about a black man. The doctors
didn’t care or the police and Garth died because of that. It was almost as if Garth’s death
completely tightened the last knot of the net and they were separate from everyone.
Homewood became place full of mistrust and blame in a time where racism and
civil rights were on the front of every newspaper. These stories take place in the 1960’s
and 1970’s when the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing. I think the timing of the
story also made a big impact on the attitude of people in Homewood at that time. There is
talk about white undercover cops who were making drug busts and them selling the drugs
to dealers. Robby talks a lot about the brutality and cruelty of the white guards in his
prison. Men die when they don’t play into the guards’ hands and do exactly what they
say.
Homewood and the lives of its residents were determined by the social restraints
placed on them. For many young boys in their poverty stricken community, they dream
of one day making it big and becoming rich. Most of the time the only role models who
are living lavish lifestyles are criminals. Drug dealers and gang members have the nicest
clothes, cars and the prettiest women. Young men like Robby aspired to be just like that.
“Figured out school and sports wasn’t the way. I got to thinking my brothers and sister
was squares.” (443.) In a community like Homewood there are only a few ways to break
the circle of poverty. By being a good athlete or a good student and making it to college
through scholarships. The only other way to be profitable is to start hustling and join a
gang. And life on the street isn’t easy on anyone. As we’ve seen throughout this story you
could end up in jail, dead or addicted to some type of drug.
Homewood despite all of its downfalls was a tight knit community. As the story
progresses Wideman realizes that Homewood is changing before his eyes. “My mother
had been raised in Homewood. The old Homewood. Her relations with people in that
close-knit, homogeneous community were based on trust, mutual respect, common
spiritual and material concerns.” (433.) The Homewood their mother grew up was
different than what they boys lived through. It had been a place where everyone knew
each other and everyone respected one another. As time when on the poverty and societal
restraints placed on Homewood took affect on everyone. “Nobody bothered to restock the
empty shelves. Fewer and fewer white faces among the shoppers. A plate-glass display
window gets broken and stays broken.” (435.) It was as if Homewood became secluded
from the rest of the world and became a place no one wanted to go. The people who lived
in Homewood didn’t have many choices and people who didn’t live there wouldn’t
venture into it.
Homewood plays a huge role in Our Time and is a constant theme throughout. We
see how Homewood played a role in the downfall of Robby while Wideman made it out
successful. Wideman even goes on to say that once he left Homewood, he sort of turned a
blind eye to what was going on there. How the town was changing and affecting his
family. Homewood shaped the Wideman/French family into what they are today, both
good and bad.
Works Cited
"Homewood." Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh Homewood Comments. RTP, 2010. Web.
06 Sept. 2015.
Lubin, Matt. "Wideman, John Edgar." Wideman, John Edgar. PSU, n.d. Web. 06 Sept.
2015.
Wideman, John Edgar. "Our Time." Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers.
David Bartholomae, Anthony Petrosky, and Stacey Waite. Bedford/St. Martin's
2014. 422-59. Print.