The Almost White Boy by Willard Motley Essay

Willard Motley is the author of The Almost White Boy. Motley had always been passionate about writing. He was 13 years old when he wrote a short story that was then published in The Chicago Defender. He graduated high school and was not able to attend college due to the great depression. According to History.com the Great Depression saw high levels of unemployment as failing companies laid off workers. The lack of finance, however, did not stop Motley from following his dream of becoming a writer. Since he was not able to attend college he traveled the country. Motley then returned to Chicago where he worked on his first book Knock on Any Door. Motley did not just write books, he wrote several series of nonfiction articles to support himself. In 1963 he published the short story The Almost White Boy in a time period where race and class were still a big issue in America. Willard Motleys short story is about a biracial half black, half white young man name Jimmy. Jimmys mother is black and his father is white, Jimmy considered himself to be both black and white which, as he thought, gave him permission to date either race. Jimmy meets Cora, a white girl with blond hair and blue eyes, and they develop a physical attraction towards each other. Jimmy tells Cora that he is black, and she assures him that being of African descent does not bother her. Cora invites Jimmy to meet her parents, but she warns him not to mention that he is black, for Jimmys appearance does not make his race obvious. After four months of dating Jimmy eventually asks Cora to marry him. Cora, maybe influenced by her parents perception of black people, dismisses Jimmys proposal. The setting, language, character and pov help develop the story and demonstrate the reality of the 1960s and how people viewed biracial individuals and interracial relationships. Motley develops Jimmys character...

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