Exposition
Setting
The story begins in the southern part of the United States in the 1930s. Later on in the novel the narrator moves to Harlem, New York. The time enables the plot to be more realistic because during the 1930s African Americans were facing extreme prejudice, especially in the South. The Jim Crow Laws were in effect and segregation was prominent. African Americans were seen as inferior to Whites and they were treated as if they were inferior to Whites. When the narrator moved to Harlem, a city filled with African American culture, he did not face segregation that was as harsh as the South. In Harlem there was a Harlem Renaissance, a social, cultural, and artistic explosion that took place in the 1920s- 1930s. The Harlem Renaissance influenced many African American writers, actors, and musicians.
Characters
- The Narrator
- Brother Jack
- Dr. Bledsoe
- Ras the Exhorter
Conflicts
- The Narrator is confused by his grandfather’s words about how he should act. Throughout the novel the Narrator questions if his actions would satisfy his grandfather and what his grandfather truly meant.
- The Narrator gets expelled from college. This causes the Narrator to move up North to New York to try to get a job and earn enough money to go back to college for the next school semester.
- The Narrator finds out that he will never be allowed back into his college. The Narrator had to go out and find a job in order to make provide for himself.
- Brother Westrum accuses the Narrator of using the Brotherhood only to help himself. Because of this, the Narrator is relocated to another area and is kept out of many committee meetings. This builds up anger and distrust in the Narrator towards the Brotherhood.
- Ras the Exhorter opposes the Brotherhood and is extremely radical. This leads to multiple Brotherhood members getting attacked and many African Americans living in Harlem are influenced by his violent ways.