Synopsis

The Ex-Colored man was on his way traveling to New York. It was a brand new surrounding for someone like him. All the fascinating buildings and scenes in New York were an eye-opener to him and astonished him. While playing ragtime at one of the late night hot spots in New York, the Ex-Colored Man caught the attention of a rich white gentleman. The gentleman had a particular liking to the Ex-Colored Man's music which evolved into a particular liking of the Ex-Colored Man himself. The white gentleman hired him to play ragtime piano for guests at parties. Soon the ExColored Man spent most of his time working for the white gentleman, who would have him play ragtime music for hours at a time. He would play until the white gentleman would say that will do. The Ex-Colored man would tire after the long hours, but would continue playing as he saw the joy and serenity he brought the white gentleman. The white gentleman frequently "loaned" the Ex-Colored Man out to other people to play at their parties. The gentleman was not exactly loaning him out as a piece of property, but simply giving the narrator a broader palette to display his talents. The Ex-Colored man saw how the rich lived; he was thrilled to live in this life style. The Rich White Gentleman absolutely influenced the ExColored Man more than any one else he met. The relationship towards the Rich White Man was not only on a slave/master basis, but also one of friendship. While he was with the white gentleman, the Ex-Colored Man decided he would use his skills to aid in Abolitionism. Even though life was pleasant, it was void of substance; using his music to aid impoverished African Americans he felt would be a better use of his talents. The Ex-Colored Man continued to show devotion to the white gentleman, as the white gentleman treated him with kindness, which eventually led to the forming of a friendship while in Paris. However, the Ex-Colored Mans devotion to the white gentleman also portrays the relationship t hat some slaves had with their masters, showing devotion to the slave-owner. This shows that even though the Ex-Colored Man had freedom, but he was still suffering from the effects of slavery. After playing for the white gentleman while touring Europe, the Ex-Colored Man decided to leave the white gentleman and go back to the South so that he could study Negro spirituals. He planned to use his knowledge of classical and ragtime music to create a new Black American musical genre. He wanted to bring glory and honor to the Negro race. He wanted to return to his heritage and make it a proud and self-righteous race.

Climax
~Once the author reached New York, he was very excited due to the hecticness of the city. The New Yorkers are busy with their career because they need to work hard to earn a living so that they can sustain a great life.

Character
~Ex-Colored: brave, he went to the New York by himself. ~Landlord: a short, stout mulatto man who is very talkative and inquisitive.

Moral Value
~We should not discriminate people who has the different races, religious, view, skin color and etc.