Olivia VanSickle

SWC 100

Draft 1

An Atom Bomb of Peace:

Hughes’ Deactivation of Atomized Racism

Racism is man’s most fatal threat to another man;for it never seems

capable of being extinguished. It is the utmost hatred to have repulsion of

another person, especially with motives that appear to be very minimal. From

early instances of prejudice in the transatlantic slave trade, to the present day

arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., racism has consistently been

a contagious disease for centuries. In Langston Hughes’ Best of Simple, Hughes

explores the atom bomb as a symbol of continuous racism that operates in an

unbreakable cycle. However, in order to treat each individual equal, actions

towards minorities must be different. Hughes uses the atom bomb in The Best of

Simple to portray that every action has a reaction, in relation to racism. The atom

bomb in The Best of Simplesymbolizes a deliberately created hate, which without

awareness can inflict suffering on not only the targeted group, but the constructor

as well.

In the event of nuclear aftermath, the world as it is known would cease to

exist. A new form of life would emerge; however, every life form and tangible

object would be contaminated by radioactive particles, or would become

“charged” as Simple believes. The first reference to an atom bomb is made in the

beginning of the collection when Simple hastily declines a salutation from the

narrator. From the instance that Simple declines the greeting, he instantly loses
his temper saying, “Good evening nothing, It’s too hot to be any good evening.

Besides, this paper’s full of nothing but atom bombs and bad news” (Hughes 6).

Simple is acting out on impulse from the negativity derived from the paper he is

reading. The reference of “..this paper’s full of nothing but atom bombs and bad

news” (6), suggests that the news print does nothing but harshly attack African

Americans. In a setting of discrimination and hate, Simple finds himself victim of

allowing himself to succumb to the attacks in the paper.

Simple explains in Radioactive Redcaps that there are not any African

Americans working on the bomb. Hughes is suggesting at this point in the text

that Caucasians are responsible for creating the racism and prejudice that

plagues America. To involve an African American in the process of creating

something so powerful like a bomb, would force whites to put trust in blacks that

they are not capable of. To drop an atom bomb is the ultimate attack on a society,

similar to how Hughes views racism and even further yet the enforcement of the

Jim Crow Laws. In the creation of the Jim Crow Laws, similar to the construction

of the atom bomb, African Americans were not permitted to partake in the

assembly of either one. It is obvious that when it comes to whom to blame for the

start of the clash between Caucasians and African Americans, the whites are at

fault. The construction and enforcement of Jim Crow will, like an atom bomb, still

have after effects centuries after its extinction. Simple says in regard to dropping

the atom bomb, "then both of us would be so full of atoms for the next millions of

years" (212), which provokes the thought that once the bomb has been dropped,

and it is many years from the original doomsday, that the aftermath of the tragedy

will still run rampant. Through this symbol Hughes is proposing that once the
bomb implodes, the long-term consequence will still be relevant years into the

future. The administration of the Jim Crow Laws is a bomb being dropped upon

the African American culture by White America. However, what the creators did

not think of when composing such a dangerous weapon was that every action

has a reaction, and the reaction may have an outcome that is possibly

unfavorable to them in the end.

Once an atom bomb is dropped, as Simple believes, everything will be

charged by a radioactive force that is contagious. Being atomized would at first

only affect the targets but could potentially spread to those who created the

bomb in the first place. The chain reaction, which would occur in a sequence of

events, would entail the atomized atomizing the original creators of the weapon.

For example, Simple's first reaction if he were to be atomized would be to call his

former landlady. Simple says, "The first person I am going to telephone is my

former landlady! When she picks up the phone, I hope to atomize her like a

Japanese tuna!" (212). Simple with is presenting the chain reaction that takes

place when one is feeling attacked. In theory, because Simple has been

atomically attacked and is "charged" with not only radioactive particles but with

raw emotion, his first reaction is to jeopardize another individual who has been

detrimental to him. It is important that Hughes shows a bigoted side of Simple

that demonstrates the vicious cycle that racism circulates in. Discrimination

towards African Americans by Caucasians is without a doubt well publicized, but

Hughes’ symbolic reference to the atom bomb exposes a different face of racism

that doesn't discriminate. The atom bomb exposes the snowball affect of racism

and how both participants to blame. In Simple Prays a Prayer, Simple even
states, "Too many mens and womens are dead. The fault is mine and theirs, too"

(7). Not only is Simple's prayer vulnerable and genuine, it also reveals a sense of

responsibility taken by Simple that he understands that he and his race also fuels

the fire of prejudice. Considering that both parties are to blame for the way

racism continues to plague America is often overlooked. Even if both races are

not the creator, both preserve and maintain their wicked creation.

Shared fear incites group instinct, and is inclined to generate cruelty

towards those who have not been recognized as part of the group. Is a notion of

peace out of the question when it comes to Blacks and Whites? It is fundamental

to be capable of forgiving. To lack the power to be merciful means to lack the

capability to love. In the rock bottom of the worst of an individual is some good,

and in the best there is corruption. When it is discovered that not everyone is the

same, and treatment should not be biased, there will be less motive to hate the

enemies. If it were up to Hughes to correct the world, he would launch a mass

construction of an atom bomb. Individuals of all colors, religions, sex, and

cultures would each play a role in the construction of the atom bomb of peace. It

would atomize all those in its reach, and they would ultimately outreach to others.

Peace has to be created in order to be maintained, and it will never be achieved

with the hostility and belligerence that racism provokes.

Works Cited

Hughes, Langston. “Radioactive Redcaps.” The Best of Simple. 1961. New

York. Hill and Wang, 1992. 210-213
Hughes, Langston. “Simple Prays a Prayer.” The Best of Simple. 1961.

New York. Hill and Wang, 1992. 6-7.