The passing of an Act does not mean immediate practical application, it is just the official beginning of a process. It will take months, years before people accept it
as the normal course of things. This part will analyze the racial stereotyping that Clay experiences. It is
such a portrayal of the relationship situation between African American people and White American people, in which African American people encounter so
many racial issues with White American people. Based on Joe Feagin’s book,
stereotype is “an overgeneralization associated with racial or ethnic group that
goes beyond existing evidence” 1978: 12. It is clear that stereotype involves racial issues. On the other hand, racial
stereotyping is a “constructed beliefs that all members of the same race share
given characteristics. These attributed characteristics are usually negative ”
Green, 1998-99. Thus, racial stereotyping is one of the types of stereotype which contains racial issues that influence one another. Some people might use
stereotype as a tool to get know someone based on their races, ethnics, even their skin colors. In fact, it cannot be proven that someone has similar personality with
others by generalizing from their races.
1. African American’s Racial Stereotypes as Seen in Lula’s Perspective
Lula seems to have an eye for and be very interested in Clay from the first time she sees Clay inside the train. As she walks inside the train and take a seat
beside Clay, the conversation goes along as the train runs to another station. They actually could have been friends, a White American woman and an African
American man in the 1950-60s.
Lula seems to have studied a lot of characteristics of African American people as she manages to make Clay believe that she knows him by mentioning
details of his life that applied in reality to many African American men of that era. Her statements of African American characteristics that she stereotypes towards
Clay are the evidence of racial stereotyping that appears in the conversation between them. The evidence of racial stereotype that Lula says about Clay is
LULA. You look like you been trying to grow a beard. That’s exactly what
you look like. You look like you live in New Jersey with your parents and are trying to grow a beard. That’s what. You look like you’ve been
reading Chinese poetry and drinking lukewarm sugarless tea. [Laughs, uncrossing and recrossing her legs.
] You look like death eating soda crackers. Baraka, p. 2
From the excerpt abpve, Clay seems embarrassed about what Lula states about his life, based on her knowledge about African American men’s life at his age. Lula
finds a space to crawl deeper in revealing Clay’s real identity.
Further statements from Lula make Clay astonished that he could not believe she knows what had happened in his personal experience, although Lula
states that she lies. LULA.
But it’s true, most of it, right? Jersey? Your bumpy neck? CLAY.
How’d you know all that? Huh? Really. I mean about Jersey ... and even the beard. I met you before? You know Warren Enright?
LULA. You tried to make it with your sister when you were ten. Baraka, p. 2
From that conversation, Lula stereotypes about Clay makes him amused. Clay does not believe that Lula seems “know” about his childhood memories with his
sister and about his friend. It goes more and more stereotypes stated that
