Racism within Race

It is easy to see that the racism reflected in this short story goes deeper than that of white vs black. Within the African American race, distinctions were being made between light and dark. Racism is not necessarily a set theory, it changes and evolves; it has no single, permanently fixed set of characteristics. Rather than be opposed to the ideas of stereotyping and making distinctions based on color, the African American characters who dominate this story seem to be focused on creating and backing racism within their own race. The Blue Vein society, for example, is supposed to be for the social advancement of the race, yet those members within, some former slaves themselves, all seem to be white enough for their veins to be seen through their skin. Mr. Ryder is immersed in the idea of the whiteness of the woman he is interested in. In fact, he sets her apart from the others as the “palest woman he expected at the ball.” When the wife of Mr. Ryder’s youth appears, he must contend with the idea that she is very dark and very old, and accepting her will definitely not raise him socially. He can stay at the top of the social ladder by hiding the truth and marrying a beautiful, “pale” respectable woman in the Blue Veins, or reveal his secret and be linked to a little ugly woman from his all but forgotten past that is considered among the lowest in his race. Liza Jane would never have been considered appropriate to be introduced and accepted by the Blue Veins because of her dark skin color and the fact that she was formerly a plantation worker. It is obvious that Mr. Ryder struggles whether or not to reveal his secret to the Blue Veins because he did not know if they would be able to accept the fact that he was married to his ugly black woman. By showing the characteristics of the low that resided even with himself, his sympathy for the woman in his story, and the language that he accepts to tell it, he is able to persuade the Blue Veins to support him. It is as if he is issuing a challenge, a challenge for the Blue Veins to be learned and have an understanding of racial history and draw strength from that learning, rather than discriminate because of it.