Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination

Morrison writes that the metaphorical uses of racism are integral parts of both the national literature and character, even today. In addition to being used metaphorically, Africanism is still used as part of an ideology that rationalizes white power through black inferiority. While it is often said that the United States has made decisions about morality without referring to its black population, in reality, the black population has been at the front and center of many debates, from constitutional rights to matters of justice. The idea of Africanism is a vital part of the way whites have learned to define themselves. As Morrison writes, “Africanism is inextricable from the definition of Americanness” (65).

Literature has offered a commentary on the biological and ideological uses of Africanism. Literature mutates the conventions of Africanism: Like the way in which applying blackface allowed white performers to delve into the taboo, white writers used Africanism to express the forbidden.

White writers’ responses to the Africanist presence often subvert the surface meanings of their texts by providing paradoxes and disruptions. Morrison cites many ways in which writers use rhetorical devices to enforce racism, such as the critic Jim Snead writing about Faulkner.

Morrison discusses other rhetorical devices that support racism.