Beauty is Only Skin Deep Racial injustice has long been a concern in American history.

Throughout the 1950s many Americans, both black and white, struggled with the idea of racial equality. John Howard Griffin, a middle aged white man from Mansfield, Texas, like many Americans, was greatly dedicated to the cause of racial justice and, like many Americans, Griffin was frustrated by his powerlessness to do something about it. Griffin realized that he would never truly understand the black man until he became one, which is precisely what he chose to do. In 1959 America, Griffin made the choice to transform himself into a black man by undergoing a variety of dermatological treatments. In his 1962 Black Like Me John Griffin writes of his journey through the south as a black man. Griffins purpose in writing Black Like Me is to tell others of his unique experience and his profound insights on racism in order to show that if humanity can break down its self perpetuated illusions of racial boundaries then life could be more prosperous for all peoples. Griffin supports this idea in a variety of ways such as the organization of the story, by contrasting his experience from both racial sides, and by sharing his insights on racism and humanity as whole. Throughout this paper these methods of support will be explored and deemed effective or ineffective in proving Griffins thesis. The way in which Black Like Me is organized is tremendously effective in supporting his argument. Black Like Me is written in chronological order with chapters being dated and written in the form of a diary. Although Griffin wrote of his experience after the fact this allowed him to be very deliberate in choosing how he would tell of his encounters. By choosing to write in the form of a diary Griffin,

creates an opportunity for readers to experience the journey alongside him, which is immensely more powerful than Griffin simply listing the events. Readers follow Griffin as he undergoes treatments in New Orleans to become a black man and we hear of his anticipation of being accepted by black people. Griffin is, to his surprise, quickly accepted by the black community and finds that the black community is not one filled with hate but rather like the white community has a strong sense of love for their own. Readers experience his identity crisis as Griffin struggles with who he is due to traveling across racial boundaries. Finally, readers experience the publics reaction to Griffins article he published about his journey in Sepia. Griffin truly shows what his journey was like through his choice of writing style and his organization of text. Therefore this organizational style is effective in supporting Griffins purpose in telling readers of his unique experience. In addition to this effective organization of his story, Griffin includes detailed encounters with both black and white friends he made along the way. Griffin transitions between being a black man and being a white man contrasting his experiences. This technique of comparing the two worlds helps readers realize that blacks and whites are not all that different, and that his experiences with individuals of the same race are consistent, no matter which race he is. Griffin tells of how he encountered love in both white and black communities. Griffins wife is supportive and tells him that she admires his courage for departing on such a journey even when Griffin is fearful of the potential troubles it will bring him. As a white man, he had, in addition to close ties to his family, a friend named P.D. East. East, like Griffin, is a passionate advocate for racial equality in

America. As a result, East faces many hardships such as being ostracized and financially stressed because of his advocacy. Griffin admires East for taking an unpopular but moral stance, bearing these difficulties, in order to be a signpost of hope in a world so opposed to the idea of racial equality. As a black man, Griffin is at first surprised to also discover similar compassion and love as a stranger within the Black community. For instance, while Griffin is on his own he has to hitchhike from place to place; many other blacks offer to help him out with rides and a few even offer him a place to stay and food for as long as Griffin needs. He makes a friend, named Sterling Williams, who is a black man. Williams helps Griffin make the difficult transition from being a white man to being a black man. Griffin meets many others along his journey through the south who take him in and love him like their own. Griffin is amazed by the general outpouring of love he encounters as a member of both communities, but he cannot understand why this love does not extend beyond racial boundaries. The way in which Griffin uses in his diary to compare the love he encounters in both communities is an effective technique in fulfilling Griffins purpose that blacks and whites are not all that different and racism is a man created idea. Through encountering love from both the white and black communities Griffin comes to the realization that goodness is greater and more powerful than the color of ones skin. Griffin explains that humans have an essential goodness and extend love to their fellow humans naturally regardless of race or ethnicity and that racism is learned behavior that man has perpetuated through time. He tells of his

experience of being black and feeling the white hate stares that suggested he had done something wrong already simply by being black, while also telling of the fearful hesitant stares he receives from black men and women while being a white man. Griffin is seeking to expose this false essence of racism and encourage us all to break down the socially learned racial boundaries that get in the way of our essential goodness. The way that Griffin includes his personal insights on racism is an effective way to support his purpose in that he shows how if humanity can break down its illusions of racial boundaries then life could be more prosperous for all. John Howard Griffin considered himself blind because he could not see the world through the eyes of the black man and so he choose to do the extreme in order to improve his understanding. Griffin learned so much while undergoing this experiment that he felt the need to share his story. In response to his experience of crossing over the racial line Griffin wrote Black Like Me. Black Like Me was written in order to share the experience and profound insights of John Griffin in hopes humanity realizing that if it can rid itself of its self perpetuated illusions of racial boundaries then life could be more prosperous for all peoples. Griffin supports this idea in a variety of ways such as the organization of the story, the technique of contrasting his experience from both racial sides, and by sharing his insights on racism and humanity as whole. These methods of support are all effective in supporting his purpose. This books strongest point was the way Griffin was developed as a believable, authentic, and easy to relate to character. This makes readers able to more easily follow his story and connect with his conclusions. However, a weak point in the book is that as a student at times this book was hard

to fully understand given that it was written in a time about a time a modern student is not familiar with. This lack of familiarity makes it sometimes difficult for a student of this book to pick up on the severity of some parts of the story given the time in American history. Reading Black Like Me might make one wonder what a world cleansed of racial boundaries would be like.

Resources: SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. Griffin, John Howard. Black like Me. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1961. Print.