Summary and Analysis

Summary

Wanting to grant Mr. Norton's whiskey wish, the narrator arrives at Golden Day, a shabby bar on the outskirts of the college community. The bartender, Big Halley, refuses to allow the narrator to let Norton outside drink. Inside, Norton is proposed to by a prostitute, insulted by a veteran, and overwhelmed by "inmates," institutionalized veterans who fill bars.

After he and Norton witness the chaotic events of Golden Day, including the brutal beating of fellow veteran Supercargo, the narrator finally manages to get his hands on a distraught Norton. Back in the car, the two drive back to the college campus.

After dropping Norton off in his room, the narrator returns to his administration building and meets Bledsoe. After briefly explaining their bad luck and telling Bledsoe that Norton wants to see him, the narrator is shocked and confused by Bledsoe's outbursts of anger. Sometime later, we see Bledsoe undergo a startling transformation as he hides his anger and adopts an attitude of reconciliation and submission as he prepares to meet Norton, and he finds himself as well. I was shocked.

On Norton's recommendation, Bledsoe dismisses the narrator and orders him to attend the chapel that evening. Back in his room, the narrator is interrupted by a newcomer who tells him that Bledsoe wants to see him. When the narrator arrives at Bledsoe's office, he is surprised to find Norton informing him that he must leave Bledsoe. After apologizing to Norton again, the narrator offers to drive Norton to the train station. Disappointed that his offer has been turned down, the narrator assures Norton that he intends to read the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Norton comments on the merits of Emerson's philosophy of independence and reminds the narrator of his meeting with Bledsoe. As the narrator leaves, he is somewhat relieved by Norton, but he worries about his upcoming meeting with Bledsoe and his obligatory presence in the chapel.

Analysis

The two chapters also challenge us to consider what is more normal: A bar in which crazy people, openly expressing their feelings, dare to challenge a corrupt system that denies them the right to lead dignified, productive lives; or a college that fosters and perpetuates the racist myth of white supremacy, while purporting to prepare its black students to become productive members of society. This quandary is highlighted by the vet`s reference to Hester, the prostitute, as "a great humanitarian" whose "healing touch" enables the vets to cope with their broken, empty lives, while the "real" humanitarian — Norton — is likened to "a formless white death. " This scene also suggests that the black college controlled by the white trustees is merely an extension of the white power structure. Furthermore, Bledsoe, under the constant vigilance of his white trustees (represented by Norton), is no more in control of the campus than Big Halley, under the constant surveillance of Supercargo (who also represents the white power structure), is in control of the Golden Day.

Big Halley, who resents any outside interference with his bar, in many ways exercises more control than Bledsoe, who willingly accepts the trustees' money and has no qualms about "selling his people. " At the battle royal, a group of prominent white men drink whiskey and behave like animals. At Golden Day, black men drink whiskey and behave like animals, as they brutally beat Supercargo and engage in meaningless sex with various prostitutes. At Golden Day, the veterans are equally in the dark as they try desperately to find some sense of pride and dignity in their wasted, empty lives.

Similarly, arriving at the Golden Day, the narrator expects to buy whiskey for Norton but is relentlessly drawn into the lives of the veterans and forced to witness the brutal attack on Supercargo. Seeing the veterans straggling down the road on the way to the Golden Day, the narrator describes them as looking like a chain gang, although he adds that a chain gang would be walking in a more orderly fashion, thus drawing attention to the veterans' seemingly aimless wanderings. The Golden Day represents a microcosm of American society from a black perspective, and the shell-shocked veterans represent black men unable to function in the real world as a result of the brutal treatment received at the hands of racist whites. Recalling the atrocious behavior towards black World War I veterans, some returned to the States to face extreme hostility for daring to think that their military service earned them the right to equal treatment under the law.

Supercargo, the carrier of the black man's burden, transforms Norton's vision of himself as carrying the white man's burden. Supercargo not only literally carries his human cargo — the vets — from the hospital to the Golden Day each week; he also symbolizes the collective psychological burden or cargo (guilt, shame, pain, humiliation) of black men, which is why he invokes so much hatred. The scene in which Supercargo is stretched out on the bar with his hands across his chest like a dead man underscores his role as the scapegoat sacrificed for the sins of his people. Invested with power by whites, who rely on him to keep the vets under control, Supercargo also represents the white power structure.

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Themes

Race and Racism

Identity and Invisibility

Power and Self-Interest

Dreams and the Unconscious

Ambition and Disillusionment