The final phrase of Angry
Black White Boy is incredibly ambiguous: "Burleigh pulled the
trigger, and Macon joined his ancestors." Though the statement could go in
any number of directions, it definitely brings us back to the Fleet Walker/Cap
Anson situation and makes us question which one Macon is more closely associated with. The
prologues about Walker and Anson at the beginning of each section help set a
historical backdrop for Macon's actions in each book. In the first two books,
we are introduced to a sort of binary with Fleet Walker and Cap Anson. As Anson's direct descendent, Macon is determined to not live up to him and wants to make amends for what Anson did to the black community. In his attempts to counteract Anson's actions, Macon goes through all of his efforts to be "down" and be accepted by black people. Therefore, is he trying to be like
Walker? Early in the book, Macon describes himself as "blacker than each and every one of these..." (123) at the Black Student Union. However, there is a huge problem that prevents Macon from being able to really be like Fleet Walker: he isn't black, so no matter how hard he tries to be unlike Cap Anson, he cannot take on a Fleet Walker role. So is there another option for Macon?
We are given an interesting third character leading up to the
final book, entitled "Race," and that is Red Donner. Donner is white, but he
ends up dying in place of Walker, as he distracts the mob by smearing
greasepaint on his face and letting them chase after him. Donner provides an
interesting sort of third party approach to Macon's dilemma of how to address
the issue of race.
Therefore, when we get to the climax of the novel, we can wonder, who are Macon's "ancestors"?
Does he end up acting as a true descendant of Cap Anson, or could he have been a martyr for the
cause like Red Donner? Honestly, the last part of the book doesn't really help
us much with this question. The ending of Macon's story lines up in many ways
with both Anson and Donner. First of all, Macon simply walks away from the
riots in New York and flees to the south, which is eerily similar to how Cap
Anson walks off the field when Walker hits a home run: they both flee from the cause. However, Macon is fleeing because he feels that he has caused more harm to black people than good, while Anson walks away because he is angry that a black person has accomplished something big (a home run). Both retreat to a situation where white supremacy can take control:
Macon flees to the south, while Anson has segregated baseball.
However, the situation becomes even more complicated when it comes
to Macon’s death, as it lines up pretty closely with Red Donner’s. When Donner was killed, “The mob caught him first of all and didn’t check too hard
to make sure he was the man they wanted, or maybe they didn’t care…” (p. 275).
Similarly, Burleigh threatens Macon and Leo with violence, because he wants to give them "equal treatment under the law," so Macon in a way is suffering in the way Donner suffered: he is seen as a race traitor. As Burleigh says, Macon "ain't been white for a long time," (334) reaffirming his race traitor status, and which could hint at Donner taking on the appearance of a black man. In Macon's final moments, Burleigh says he will be a martyr for the cause, which may be true due to the evidence I mentioned before. However, Macon says "no" at the last second, and then he "joined his ancestors," perpetuating the ambiguity of Macon's situation through the end of the book.
I thought it was interesting how the importance of ancestry is shared in both Beatty's White Boy Shuffle and Mansbach's Angry Black White Boy.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a conundrum. I think the whole who-is-Macon's-fam thing is made even more confusing by the short excerpt in chapter 12 where we see everything fleetingly from Cap's perspective and he says something prophety about Macon ultimately screwing things up and the white supremacists winning as always. This makes it seem like Macon is destined to join Cap. Macon is kind of pitiful at the end. He isn't a heroic martyr but he is sort of a martyr for the system, showing that one extremist individual isn't enough to completely turn society on its head. Idk if martyrdom makes him any more of a virtuous character though. He doesn't really have a choice...which is also interesting because, throughout the novel, Macon is most interested in the motives and intentions behind social justice rather than the strategy. So clearly in Macon's eyes, a martyr who doesn't believe in the cause isn't really a Martyr (John Brown for example). But where does Mansbach stand on all of this?
ReplyDeleteHonestly when I read the ending I did not think that Macon could count as a martyr but reading this post I think more that it's less about Macon himself and more about public perception. If people see Macon as someone who has put on blackface with his words and actions and then died at the hands of a white supremacist, then he cannot avoid being a martyr. But Macon's weakness, his unwillingness to stick it through to the end for the cause, shows in a sense he did return to his white supremacist ancestors in that in his mind he gave up.
ReplyDeleteI agree that public perception is the most important aspect of Macon's death. Although he dies pathetically and verbally denies his potential martyr status, when people hear that Macon Detornay was shot by a white supremacist they will likely ascribe heroic characteristics to him, even if he never actually possessed them.
DeleteIt is really interesting as to who Macon's ancestors are. I wonder if that line should be interpreted a different way. He returns to his ancestors, but Cap Anderson is clearly his genetic ancestor. So, perhaps the line implies that by returning to his ancestors that Macon has failed his journey? Definitely an interesting final line to think about regardless.
ReplyDeleteI really like your idea that the ambiguity of Macon's identity and "race" reflects the ambiguity of the last line. Who really are Macon's "ancestors"? Do their actions reflect Macon's, or are they a retired part of the past?
ReplyDeleteThe whole ancestors aspect was really interesting. I wasn't sure what to make of it at the beginning of the book, or at the end with the addition or Red Donner. I think that in the end, Macon is definitely different from his ancestor Cap, which is what I think he was trying to prove over the entire book.
ReplyDeleteNice post! I also found the end super confusing and I couldn't make up my mind on where i thought Macon stood. I feel like Mansbach is satirizing Macon's efforts on racism by making the ending so ambiguous, and also maybe satirizing the idea of a hero. I really liked your idea that throughout the novel, Macon had a lot of ambiguity about race, and that is then reflected at the end with the ambiguous last sentence.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think the last line of this novel is very powerful, significant, and also carefully-thought out by Mansbach. I think Macon didn't exactly die honorably since he totally gave out to these white supremacists, so perhaps when he was killed it meant he joined Cap Anderson.
ReplyDelete