Mendoza 1

Ivan Mendoza

Ms. Percival

ELA III

06 May 2018

Competition of the Race?

What if life consisted every person as one color and as one race? The book, ​Black No

More, ​is viewed through the Marxist lens which is a form of debate for interrogating all societies

culture.(Wiki, Marxist literary criticism). White people claimed that mixed-raced babies were an

“ill-bred society”. In this book, it is found to be about an ambitious young African American in

the 1930’s who lived in New York. The main character, Max Disher deals with racial oppression

due to the fact that he is a poor black man himself, who then goes through a procedure that

changes his skin color to be white. Once this and their text in certain specific issues including

race, class, and the attitudes shared within a procedure was done, more black people considered

this and became white, causing confusion to white people knowing who was truly white. During

that time, there was a high volume of racism and mostly was towards black people. Marxist

criticism offers a different understanding of George Schuyler's book, ​Black No More, ​because it

demonstrates how the people can be oppressed based on race, social, and economic class.

During the Harlem Renaissance, there was a desire to being white very strongly. This

made the people give up their precious time and money. In Schuyler's book, it has rotations

around two of the main characters. One of them is, Dr. Crookman, he is responsible for the

procedure that allows African Americans to physically change their skin tone into being a
 Mendoza 2

caucasian person. The second main character is, Matthew Fisher, he is a young African

American man that finds out about this procedure and is the first to do it. This lead him to fall

through due to his experience with a disrespectful white woman when he asked her for a dance

and she rejected him because of his skin color. He says while going to her, ”She was indeed

ravishing…”(Schuyler 5) then when he asked her for a dance, the woman rejected him by

saying,”No, I never dance with niggers!”.(Schuyler 5). This white woman, neglected Max based

on his race and skin color which is racist because the word “niggers” is used as an insulting and

contemptuous term for a black person. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). She continues on by

saying,”Can you beat the nerve of these darkies?”.(Schuyler 5). These inputs are in fact racist

and inappropriate to be saying just because of how Max’s race in society is viewed as they are

outcasted by their skin color, since it is different. The judgement that this woman implicated was

that since he was skin is black, he is different than who she was and her privileges. In scientific

studies, it has been proven that two random people are 99.9 percent similar to each other which

was mentioned in an article named, ​How Genetically Similar Are Two Random People?, ​where

it says,”claims that people are 99.9% genetically similar.” The way that the white woman

responded back to Max Fisher was truly absurd because they are precisely similar to each other,

besides there skin color. Matthew Fisher was crushed when she made that comment on how she

does not dance with people of color, but he still wanted to pursue her. Soon, he gets on a phone

call with his friend, Bunny, that asked if he seen the morning times in which said, “Negro

Announces Remarkable Discovery Can Change Black to White in Three Days” (Schuyler 7). Dr.

Crookman, who is a black scientist that went to go study abroad in Germany, came back from a

three day procedure that can change anyone considered a person of color, into a worthy
 Mendoza 3

caucasian. Matthew Fisher thought about it to change his skin complexion and finding the girl he

was still chasing for. Eventually, Matthew Fisher turns white in the book. He then would be a

free man, be who he wanted to be, and do what he wanted to do.

Not only in Schuler’s book demonstrates classism, but Hegemony as well. Going back to

the girl who did not want to dance with Matthew Fisher because of his skin complexion,

hegemony is in which where people in society claim cultural rules that are meant to be followed.

It brings out all parts of society, including media. “As a boy he had been taught to look up to

white folks as just a little less than god’s,” (Schuyler 34). Matthew Fisher noticed the dullness of

being white as opposed to what he was taught when he was a kid. He noticed them to be more

uniformly less respectful and less interesting. One thing that really caught his attention was how

the places he would go to have fun. He noticed that no one down there wanted to be around him

because he was seen as a suspect. He realized that he could not go and fit in with his friends like

how they used to do. “There was nothing left for him except the horn, materialistic, grasping,

ill-bred Society of the whites.”(schuyler 34). Then, when he did the transition to do the

Black-No-More Inc. procedure, he goes by saying, ”He had undergone the tortures of Doc

Crookman’s devilish machine order to escape the conspicuousness of the dark skin”.(Schuyler

17). In this quote, it goes to explain that the machine that doctor Crookman was a terrible

machine that makes black people want to change their skin color just because on what the society

at that time was pushing. The keyword that jumps out mostly is “escaping” because they were

making it sound as if being black was a problem. No one has control on what there skin color can

be, it is something you are born with from your parents. On the ​American Academy of

Dermatology Inc.​ website, it mentions that,”Skin color can be everything from very pale to very
 Mendoza 4

dark, and many shades in between. That's because of something called melanin, which is made in

the epidermis. Some people call it pigment.”. The culture in where he grew up in his entire life,

was just different that he is white and is exposed to a new way in living.

To add to the new soft way of his living, Max Fisher noticed more about the opinions of

the local paper. He was shocked on what he saw towards ​Black-No-More. Inc.​ “From the vintage

point of having formerly been a negro, he was able to see how the newspapers were fenning the

colored prejudice of the white people.” (Schuyler 35). With this, hegemony can be seen through

the lens of the media. He was a bit confused since the businessmen were opposing Doctor

Crookman’s work, but wasn’t Doctor Crookman’s work a solution? For getting rid of the

Negroes who were all to blame for the backwardness of the South? How the people looked of

different classes started to worried be the minute. Before the ​Black-No-More Inc.​, it was

reasoned that if you were a caucasian person, you were from the upper class which was also

known as bourgeoisie. If you were a black person, you were considered from the lower class

which was known as the proletariat. Majority of their society operated manual labor that

benefited the upper class. “Unorganized labor meant cheap labor; that the guarantee of cheap

labor was an effective means of luring new industries into the south; that so long as the ignorant

white masses could be kept thinking of the menace of the Negro to Caucasian race purity and

political control, they would give little thought to labor organization.” (Schuyler’s 35). What this

meant was engaging in commodification, as Fisher notices more of the environment, the more

examples of Marxism were presented in the book. This is not the only thing, the woman also set

a steady perception for their class. A woman named Mrs. Givens, was demonstrated as a

beautiful, but not that much now since she is aging compared to her daughter, Helen, who is
 Mendoza 5

younger. Helen’s friends often think she is adopted because of her beauty and the only thing that

is resembled from her parents is her intelligence. “Mrs. Givens has probably once been beautiful

but the wear and tear of a long life as the better half of an itinerant evangelist was apparent… act

like civilized people.”, “how to dress and how to act in exclusive society, … for sophistication in

American upper-class life” (Schuyler 42). A strong depiction was made of Mrs. Givens

appearance and how guests was around Helen and how they would act like civilized people.

Helen was made as a confident, beautiful woman who knew how to dress up with an education

that makes her look sophisticated for an American upper-class person.

Now talking about American upper-class peoples life, ​Black No More,​ includes

individual people into this ideology that is promotes the values of the dominant society. It was

the “Natural way of seeing things”. Marxism is shown to the book through the belief that

ideology is working in all cultures. “Who's the coon?” asked one of the mechanics, round-eyed

and respectful, like all Americans, in the presence of great wealth.” (Schuyler 47). Notice the

key term that was used,” All Americans”. Another example would be “A soft-treading waiter

whose Negro nature was only revealed by his mocking obsequiousness, served each with

champagne.” (Schuyler 48). It is the same as a stereotype of questioning what is normal or what

is natural. “I think that vindicates my contention at the beginning that the fee should be but fifty

dollars- within the reach of the rank and file of Negroes”(Schuyler 49). In this case, the most

dominant class changes those who are below it into accepting an ideology called interpellation,

which means it pulls people into ideology. It is nearly the same to a sense of commodity to keep

people in a certain path.

 Mendoza 6

Commodity and classism was demonstrated through this book when the commission

recommended a stricter observance of laws. On page (Schuyler 99) it says,” that it was illegal in

most of the states for pure whites and persons of Negro ancestry… six weeks.”. In the setting of

Marxism commodification is strongly present in this part of the book. The commissions were

going to make changes like in bettering equipped judges, marriages, strengthening the Mann Act,

more district authority, road houses, closer supervision of the dance halls, and much more things.

The act relating to others in terms of their exchange or sign value in which is the ability to

impress others. There were five republicans and two democrats. Most politicians were

temporarily out of a job during that time. The commission made these law changes because they

thought that it would help out the government system. “ he proved statistically that

unemployment and poverty are principally a state of mind” (Schuyler 103). Now the things that

were rated by worth and value, was now a part of commodity, even though they were still valued

but not the same. It was more for money and happiness of the government and not for the people.

Many groups that were powerful and would affect humans, natural, and economic

resources. Henry Givens, who was known as Mr. Givens, was an Imperial Grand Wizard of the

Knights of Nordica, had strived to increase the importance, membership, and power of the no

longer existing KKK. “He convinced himself, as did the other officers, that this stealing was not

stealing at all but merely appropriation of rightful reward for his valuable service.” (Schuyler

38). Matthew had to meet a man to voice out his opinion on how he would benefit what they

needed. Regardless of newly turning into a caucasian,” He felt slight tremor of uneasiness as he

turned the knob and entered. Despite his white skin he still possessed the fear of the Klan and

kindred organizations possessed by most Negroes.” (Schuyler 37). A professional Anglo Saxon
 Mendoza 7

and a descendant of the first families in Virginia, Dr. Buggerie, suggested that it was hard to tell

apart from a real caucasian and an imitated caucasian. He also mentioned that they should

instead study the family tree of the people to see if they are real caucasians or imitations. He

stated how a nationwide investigation would reveal the many non-Nordic strains in the

population count. “Laws. said he. Should then be passed forbidding these strains from mixing or

marrying with the pure strains that had produced such fine specimens of mankind as Mr.

Snobbcraft and himself.” (Schuyler 103). The head of Anglo-Saxon, Snobbcraft, joined the

Knights of Nordica for a Presidential campaign. He created a project to see how many of the

population had Negro blood alike to what Dr. Buggerie proposed before. It rebounded when he

found out the fifty million people who were white, had negro ancestry.

Black No More​ had non-stop examples of Marxism, both social and economically

following from the real subject of the book. Once the truth started to come out about ancestry,

the people realized how exotic it was the desire for being white and how the quote “get out, get

white, or get along.” were just an illusion of the ideology. The desire of being caucasian was in

strong demand and people would waste their money and time on something that white people

created to make people of color seem as if they were the problem and that they were no way

similar to them. This made the people give up their precious time and money. The prediction of

what the world would look like if there was a way that that people could change their skin color,

but then founded in the book, Dr. Buggerie finds out the fifty million people who were white,

had Negro ancestry. Marxist criticism offers a different understanding in the Black No More, by

how people of color were being oppressed during the time of the Harlem Renaissance and how

people of color would go through a procedure so they can feel like a caucasian person with their
 Mendoza 8

privileges. Not only this, but commodity and classism was also demonstrated throughout this

book when the commission recommended a stricter observance of laws because the people

thought it would help out with the government system.

 Mendoza 9

Work Cited

Schuyler, George Samuel. ​Black No More​: ​Being an Account of the Strange and Wonderful

Working of Science in the Land of the Free, A.D. 1933 - 1940. ​Mineola, NY: Dover Publ., 2011.

Milo, Ron, and Ron Philips. “» How Genetically Similar Are Two Random People?” Cell

Biology by the Numbers What Are the Time Scales for Diffusion in Cells Comments,

book.bionumbers.org/how-genetically-similar-are-two-random-people/

“What Gives Skin Its Color?” Ringworm | American Academy of Dermatology, American

Academy of Dermatology., 2018, ​www.aad.org/public/kids/skin/what-gives-skin-its-color

Blunden, Andy. “Marx and Engels On Literature and Art.” Introduction to the Metaphysics of

Morals by Immanuel Kant, Progress Publishers,

www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/subject/art/index.htm

“Nigger.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster., 2018

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nigger