Maria Orozco
March 25, 2013
HCOM 324
Prof. Vaughan
Home to Harlem Midterm
Home to Harlem is a classic novel written by Claude McKay which portrays the lives of
African- Americans living in Harlem. Claude McKay is a Jamaican native and his experience
with racism has influence his writings. This novel was published in 1928 when Harlem was
experiencing major popularity due to the Harlem Renaissance which was a historic period in
which the expression of African- American and Caribbeanwriters flourished. Also, Home to
Harlem is a novel of great significance because it became the first bestselling novel by an
African-American author. This novel depicts the struggles that African-Americans had to
experience even after they were emancipated.
In order to understand the struggles of African-Americans it is important to first
understand their history. The year 1619 marks their initial presence in the United States; they
were brought to work as slaves. As slaves, they were dehumanized through the use of violence
and assault of their African values. Blacks were under slavery for 246 years from 1619-1865. In
the year 1865, they were emancipated and during the next 100 years they were granted half
citizenship which meant they were considered to be three-fourths of a man. From 1965 to the
present, they have been completely free and considered complete humans just like any other, but
unfortunately, their struggles are not yet over, even to the present day, they are stillconfronted
with a lot of discrimination.
Home to Harlem presents the reader with not only the struggles but also with the
frustrations that AfricanAmericans have experienced. Due to the fact that this novel depicts
many of the frustrations that Blacks experienced, this novel can definitely be considered a classic
African American narrative. There are various themes that are presented in the novel and that
are crucial towards characterizing this novel as a classic African American narrative. Some of
the themes that are presented in this novel are discrimination, race, education, violence,
prostitution, women’s low self-esteem, love, and friendship.
Home to Harlem narrates the story of Jake who joined the Army, after realizing that he
was assigned non-combating duties he decided to go back to Harlem, “they didn’t seem to want
us niggers foh no soldiers” (McKay 331). As he goes back to Harlem one of the first things he
does is go into a cabaret where he spent the night with a woman he describes as “honey girl.”
After been away from Harlem for about two years, he is confronted with the frustrations that
many urban blacks were experiencing in Harlem.
Jake’s journey back to Harlem helped him become aware of the derogative names he was
given by white people. One day an English sailor started a conversation with him by calling him
“Darky,” after the man called him that way he realized that he didn’t get offended by the way
this man referred to him. This incident made him ponder on how if he was in Harlem he would
definitely be offended, the big difference was that back home he wasn’t called a “darky” but a
“nigger.” According to Jake when a white man calls him “nigger” he is meaning hatred for
Negroes but when he is refer to as “darky” it meant a friendly contempt. Jake concludes that he
would rather be called “nigger” than “darky” because “he preferred white folks’ hatred to their
friendly contemp. To feel their hatred made him strong and aggressive, while their friendly
contempt made his ridiculously angry, even against his own will” (McKay 5). Pondering about
this incident, the author is presenting how white people perceived blacks. Any title they gave
them was very derogative since there is always a negative connotation. Either “nigger” or
“darky” was a sign of the discrimination and the inferiority to which blacks were condemned.
Another theme that is clearly presented in this novel is Black women’s low self-esteem.
As Jake was settling in Harlem he met Rose with whom he went to live. Rose didn’t mean
anything to Jake; although he lived with her, he could never forget his “little brown-skin of
Baltimore”. But what Rose wanted from Jake was not necessarily love; she wanted to be bitten
by him. She wanted him to be brutal, beat her up and to take her money away. One day after
going over Jake’s limit, he slapped her and she became satisfied because that was what she
wanted, “Jake gave her two savage slaps full in her face and she dropped moaning at his feet”
(McKay 116). After Jake realized what he had done he felt ashamed of himself “ Ahm shame
o’you hands. Mah mother usetertell me, ‘Nevah hit no woman,’ but that hussy jast made me do
it…” As a result of this experience, Jake decided to abandon Rose and go on with his life. Rose’s
seek for violence presents how certain black woman viewed themselves as inferior beings that
needed to be beaten and disrespected in order to live happily. This inferiority was the result of
the unjust treatment white man subjected all blacks but which had serious long lasting
consequences on some black woman.
Furthermore, another theme that is presented and that depicts why this novel is a
classic African -American narrative is race and discrimination. Race is compared to nations,
“races and nations were things like skunks whose smell poisoned the air of life” (McKay 153).
Race and nations are heavy burdens that are carried by black. It is not the same to say you are
White-American that saying you are Black American, these two races are perceived differently
although they are both citizens of this nation. White citizens have never gone through any of the
struggles that minorities such as African Americans have experience; they are the country’s
dominant race. Also, in regards to white been the dominant race there is a reference to religion,
“God is white and has no more time for niggers than you’ve got for the chef” (McKay 176).
Even God is thought of a white man who has forgotten about black Americans. In addition,
discrimination is also present in the narrative, after a raid in one of the cabarets there are several
arrests, the police arrested two white women, “to the two white girls that were also taken in the
raid the judge remarked that it was a pity he had no power to order them whipped. For whipping
was the only punishment he considered suitable for white women who dishonored their race by
associating with colored persons” (McKay 110). This statement by the judge is a clear indicator
of discrimination against black people, these white woman were not going to be punished for
working in the cabaret but for been around black people. It was considered a dishonored of the
white race if mixing with Black people.
Education is another big theme that is clearly presented in this novel. Educated blacks
had nocredibility even among their race. Rosalind, Jakes friend whom he met at the Railroad, got
very sick, there first reaction was to call a white doctor not a black one. “You’d better go an’
scares up a white one. Isenevah had no faith in these heah nigger doctors” (McKay 254). This is
a very revealing statement, it demonstrates how there was lack of support even among Black
Americans. In order to have a strong race it is important to fist support one another. To this, Jake
states, “I hope all niggers will put together like civilization folks” (McKay 187). There was a
need for community and commitment among Blacks.
Love is what dominated in Jake’s heart ever since he got back to Harlem. The first night
since he arrived to Harlem he spends a passionate night with this girl to whom he referred to as
“honey girl”. After that night he tried looking for that girl in different cabarets but he never
remembered where it was that he had met her. Although he wasn’t able to find her for a long
time she would always be in his heart. Ever since that night he never found other girl for whom
he will feel the same. . Toward the end of the narrative, Jake is able to reunite with his girl.
When they reunite, Jake tells her, “ Youse the baby I been waiting foh all long, I knowed you
was the goods” ( McKay 303). He discovers that her name is Felice and as the narrative comes
to an end they decide to leave Harlem. To Jakes surprise, Felice was the love partner of his friend
Zeddy and although there were some incidents their love was strong enough to end up together.
All throughout the narrative, Jake expresses his certainty for the love he felt for Felice, towards
the end his certainty proves him right since destiny put Felice back in his life.
Friendshipis another theme that is presented in the narrative. Jake had held a friendship
with Zeddy , they hadn’t seen each other since Jake started working at the railroad, they would
never have imagined that they will see each other back again in a confrontation for a woman,
Felice. “Zeddy. My own friend in some ways. Naturally lied about me and the army, though,”
Zeddy felt betrayed by his friend Jake for having the love of Felice; consequently, he reacted by
talking bad about his friend. Later he realizes that his actions were wrong and that he acted
against Jake whom him considered a great friend, Zeddy decides to go back to Jake and ask for
pardon; “ So I jest had to come and tell it to you and ast you pahdon. Don’t pay no mind to what
I done said in that theahcabaratet. What you done was all right, jakey, and I woulda did it
mahselfef I’d a had the guts to.”(McKay 334) This demonstrates that friendships have room for
pardon and that Zeddy had the courage to accept that he acted wrong.
Reading this novel helped me compareit with the novel of Alice Walker, The Color
Purple. Although these two novels depict the experiences of African –Americans, they each have
a different focus. The Color Purple is more of a feminist novel; it gives major attention to the
denigration of Black women. In the other hand, Home to Harlem presents a bit of everything and
it doesn’t give major emphasis to a certain topic like it happened in The Color Purple. Home to
Harlem presents not only the struggles of an individual but of many individuals of the African
American community. It depicts the struggles of kids, men, workers, friendships and also of
love.
Discrimination, race, love, friendship, education and violence are all themes that in some
way or another reflect the frustrations felt by urban blacks.As we can see all these themes help
categorize this novel as a classic African-American narrative since this type of novel illustrates
the struggles and experiences of African-Americans.