In this poem, Hughes grapples with what it means to be from a mixed racial background in a time and place when racial ambiguity wasn’t socially accepted. This exploration into racial identity is a central theme of Nella Larsen’s novel Passing, in which we see mixed race, light-skinned characters like Irene and Clare having to choose which race they want to belong to, and the psychological effects that choice has on them. Although race does not define a person, it does play a large role in identity formation. Living in an in-between state, as Irene and Clare do, is incredibly confusing in one’s concept of self-identity. Although Hughes didn’t face the issue of passing in his own life, he was clearly aware of the dual nature of his racial identity, and struggled to find where he belonged in a world in which there was only black or white, and no shades of gray in between.

    This passage is from the beginning of Hurston’s 1937 novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, as Janie is returning to her old town after the death of her husband. As she walks back into town, the people living there sit on their porches, watching and judging her, because of her refusal to adhere to their expectations of what a woman should be. This is similar to the “male chorus” featured in Hurston’s short story “Sweat.” They, too, sit on a porch, watching Delia, seeing her pain and judging her for it, but not caring enough to help her. However, this situation in Their Eyes Were Watching God is interesting, because it’s not just the men doing the watching. While the men focus on her physical attributes, the women gossip amongst themselves about her dirty overalls and her mysterious return without a man. They watch her and form their opinions about her without ever considering her experience.

     This quote by Stein, in my opinion, sums up the essence of modernism. Although she didn’t write Brewsie and Willie until 1946, and it was about GIs in World War Two, it applies perfectly to the sense of loss and utter confusion after the first World War. This was a time in which there were no answers, only questions that never ended; this period of art and literature was centered around coming to terms with that uncertainty and finding a way to live in a world that didn’t make sense. We saw this struggle in The Sun Also Rises, in the way Jake is unable to come to terms with the reality of his relationship with Brett; the two yearn for a relationship that they both know is never going to happen, yet they can’t let go of the possibility, making each other miserable in the process. If they could accept that “there ain’t no answer” to their problem and just move on, their lives would be much better, but they just can’t let go, and continue living in a vicious cycle of unhappiness.

    I think this poem is really important, and especially interesting to read after Hemingway. Both authors have a similar worldview—life is an empty, bitter experience, as man struggles to make sense of a senseless world. However, the difference in style of presentation between the authors is astounding. In Hemingway’s work, almost all meaning is veiled by short sentences and a lack of description; what isn’t said is often more important than what is. Almost no mention is given to the characters’ mental and emotional states. Reading “The Hollow Men” is a completely difference experience, as Eliot takes the reader on a journey through the damaged psyche of a broken generation of men. 

  I chose this specific photo because it depicts a side to this time period that we haven’t really seen too much of in our literary exploration thus far—the working class. The only story we’ve read that has really emphasized a character working for their livelihood is Hurston’s “Sweat,” in which Delia works as a washerwoman. However, for the majority of Americans, daily life wasn’t hanging out and drinking with friends all day; for many, it was hard work, day after day, and only barely scraping by. This photo also reminds of Langston Hughes’ poem, “Song to a Negro Wash-Woman,” that we read in class, especially the line “I know how you build your house up from the wash-tub / and call it home.” Although this woman is not black, and she washes floors, not clothes, the perseverance and strength of will she shares with Hughes’ subject is clear.