If there is anything that I enjoy in any story at
all it is heroism. In most, if not all, stories, movies, TV shows, video games
that I have seen and read, there is always the hero rising up against fear and
doubt to overcome evil a bring a better tomorrow for everyone. This is what I
enjoy to see and is what my inspiration and focus is as a writer. In fact, this
is pretty much what everyone wants to see then it comes to storytelling. Incognegro
was able to display this aspect when describing the events lynchings being
busted by light-colored reporters including Zane. Zane was willing to risk his
life so that the truth can be brought about the lynchings. And Carl wanted to
accompany Zane for his last mission so that he could take his place. Based on
Carl’s personality throughout the story, do you think that Carl wanted to take
Zane’s place when he retired just for the fame, or was there actually a smidge
of humility within him that wanted to see justice? What evidence is there that
supports your thoughts? Also, what did you think of Carl’s death near the end
of the book?
In addition to the process of storytelling, another helpful mechanism to heroism would be the downfall of the villain. For every hero there is always a villain, and everyone wants to see the villain parish either by the hands of the hero, or by poetic justice. As we continue to read, we see the villain, Mr. Huey, for what he truly is and wish for him to get what’s coming to him. So when the book ends, do you believe that the ending was appropriate in poetic justice? What do you make out of the fact that the townsfolk actually believed what Zane wrote about Mr. Huey’s identity? Can people really be that naïve?
For the most part many people are that naive. That is why we have outlets like E News, tabloids and other media sources that are taking over social networks. People are obsessed with knowing the most recent news and gossip without checking their sources all the time. So, yes, I believed that the townsfolk are naive enough to actually believe the news report about Mr. Huey's identity. The uneducated will usually believe reports without proper supporting evidence. (For an example you can look up the battle for homosexual rights in Africa. Those against homosexual rights tell the masses that homosexual men eat human excrement during intercourse.)
ReplyDeleteHowever to address the question about poetic justice, I am not sure that it was the right form of justice to do that to Mr. Huey. I am a big fan of people getting what they deserve, and I feel that what Mr. Huey got was not enough punishment. Sure the article damaged his reputation but the townsfolk might not actually harm Mr. Huey because he can more easily defend himself because he is a wealthy southern white man that has generations of white family background to prove that the article is wrong. The punishment is temporary. It can easily be corrected and blow over. I felt that the punishment/justice should have been far more harsher because of the countless possible crimes committed by Mr. Huey, however I understand that Zane only did what was within his means to do. Since the book ended on a cliff hanger, we cannot really know what the end was for Mr. Huey.
The hero/villain thing is one of my biggest problems with Incognegro, because it takes something that is (by its own admission) complex and tries to turn it into something simple.
ReplyDeleteZane exhibits heroic qualities, I guess? Whenever he does something that would be construed as brave whoever he’s with just calls him stupid, so there’s really no way of knowing which reading is correct. The characterization of Zane ends there though, which means we don’t really know much about him. So how are we defining him as a hero? Well…
That’s where the villains come in. We have a KKK officer, who on two or three different occasions has an ‘I’ll get you next time, Gadget!’ panel. He is literally just an abstract idea about hate, masquerading as a real person. We have the Jefferson-Whites who are characterized as complete idiots, who literally pick their teeth with a knife on-panel just so we see how stupid and ‘hillbilly’ they are. Again, not an actual person, just the vague idea of ‘stupid’. And we have a woman who is treacherous and apparently promiscuous. That’s really all we know about her.
So, what’s the code here? White southerners are hateful, stupid, and basically amoral.
So what then is our hero, Zane? Well…he’s um…not those things. My argument is that Johnson is using negative definitions based on stereotypes about white southerners to define his black characters.
The ultimate irony here is that that’s the exact thought-process white Americans used to define Black people for most the time they have lived in this country. Instead of having a productive discussion about the complexities of race, Johnson has constructed a story that oversimplifies and stereotypes the problem in the exact same way it had been in this country for two hundred years.
The level of blatant hypocrisy is unbelievable, especially based on the amount of acclaim this book has gotten (especially in academia).
I have to agree with Max on this one. It was massively stereotypical to the point where you could see the author's hand as he was writing up the characters.
ReplyDeleteCarl was a bit of a wild card, but he ultimately fell into the funny/quirky sidekick character. A bit of comic relief. His motivations were stated when he first tagged along (in order to basically train to become Incognegro,) but once he got there, he wandered off on his own, getting into shenanigans, which muddled his intentions. He did get his moment of heroism in sacrificing himself for Zane, but I certainly don't think that, judging from his earlier actions, that legitimately taking on the persona of Incognegro was his intention. I would say that bit of heroism was forced upon him.
As for Huey, it's hard to say. Coming from a journalist's standpoint, it really doesn't seem like that would stand or go anywhere because it's straight-up libel (written defamation, and even completely untrue.) The moment he refuted it, they would have to take it down and issue an apology statement. Granted, the book was set a long time ago, so the laws may have been different. But I still feel it wouldn't go much further than slightly damaging his reputation, and then end at that.
I think Carl was attracted to the idea of getting fame but at the same time not thinking of the long term requirements to achieve his desire. He was trying to get the goods without working for them.
ReplyDeleteYes, people can the naïve. I’ll admit, when I was little I fell for stuff like it before. But like everyone else has said so far: It was just a small attack that could be countered with proper evidence. Sure there might be a lingering thought of it but people won’t admit it publicly. Honestly, what Zane did was just giving the problem a paper cut and pouring lemon juice on it, there was no real resolution. A situation that I can relate this to, is when The Doctor (Doctor Who-David Tennant reference ahead) meets with Harriet Jones, Prime Minister, after the event where she destroys an alien spaceship that carried a race of beings. The Doctor is livid with her, but he doesn’t use violence to get even. Nope, he destroys her whole reputation with a few words “Don’t you think she looks tired?” He implants this idea into one person then it spreads like wild fire. After everything is said and done, Jones is no longer the Prime Minister but she does still get involved with politics because they couldn’t officially get rid of everything she knows (well maybe they could but that’s a different topic). Comparing that to Mr. Huey’s identity issues, they’re very quick wrap ups to small issues.
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ReplyDeleteI hear what fellow classmates are saying about stereo-typing the white southerners in the graphic novel. At the same time, however, there were lynchings and (sometimes brutally enforced) segregation below the Mason Dixon line. Johnson opts to focuses on this aspect of southern society. I don't believe it is the author's duty or obligation to present more nuanced white characters that are sympathetic to southern blacks. That would be like complaining that Arthur Spiegelman didn't make the German's more nuanced in "Maus" (not every single German hated the Jews, afterall). Johnson ( the author) does live in Houston. As someone who grew up in Southeast Texas, I can tell you (at least back in the 80s) racism was still very much alive.
ReplyDeleteAre some of the characters in "Incognegro" one-dimensional? Sure. Just like racism (or any bigotry) is one-dimensional. I guess that's not something in the novel that bothers me. Do I believe the townsfolk would fall for Zane's "outing" of Mr. Huey. Absolutely. Media is a powerful tool. Misinformation in the media has lead to public hysteria, ill advised wars, and wrongful arrests. Though now in a diminished state, the power of the printed word, should never be underestimated.
As for Carl, I do think he was perilously close to being written as a quirky, clownish sidekick of the Shakespearean variety. I think his intentions were mixed; I think a part of him wanted to come along for the thrill of danger and to seek justice. He seems to have a need for acceptance and I think this lead to his downfall. I felt sorry for him long before he was killed because in reading the novel, Carl clearly wants to be accepted by the racist, white southerners. In the end, they do accept his personality but not his ethnicity.
Carl did want to see justice done for his people but if he came with a lot of fame he wouldn't have minded. I'm an entirely convinced that if Zane were to retire Carl would have made a point of taking his place. Overall I think Carl was not aware of the severity of racism especially in the south. He never confronted lynchings face to face like Zane. He only knew of these accounts through Zane and seeing how Zane was popular for his reports he began to link racial justice with fame. Being in Zane's place would be a golden opportunity for Carl as he would bring justice and recognition from the public. The south served as a rude awakening to this notion, however, as racism was far more extreme there than it was in Harlem.
ReplyDeleteCarl's death seemed to demonstrate his lack of understanding how dangerous racists are and the real dangers of Zane's job. He thought it was all a matter of pulling the wool over bigot's eyes with no real consequences of getting caught in the act. As he was no able to blend in as well as Zane, however, he slipped up at the expense of his life. I thought it was sickening how the Mitchell family could accept so openly when they thought he was foreigner but were quick to have him lynched the moment they thought he was Incognegro. One tiny change in who he was became monumental and was reason to treat him like an animal. It showed also how trivial racism can be at a huge expense of human life.
Perhaps it seems insensitive but I do think that Mr. Huey's death was poetic justice, So many times he and those like him had treated blacks the way the crowds in Mississippi were treating him. It's a common case of getting a taste of his own medicine. And I think they town's people can be that naive as they had already demonstrated such easy shift of opinion based on what a higher source says. It further shows how easily bigots can be controlled to harm others.
I think the foreword of the book changes the perspective entirely of this story, and makes the heroic aspects and the general archetype characters make a lot more sense, and be a lot more poignant. Because while this story is written by an adult, it came from the mind of a child. And as such, it is kind of a child like story of a kid wanting to be a hero with something that he sees as a curse.
ReplyDeleteCarl didn't really know what he was getting into when he tagged along with Zane. I feel like that's pretty apparent in the story. He had this girlfriend who wanted him to do more with his life, he had a friend who was doing something that seemed really cool that could get him a lot of accolades, and so he went for it. I bet in his mind he thought it would be a cool idea to become the incognegro, but it was probably mostly so he could get on good standing with the lady, and to look good while doing it. I agree with Matt who posted earlier, saying that Carl really kind of had a sense of heroism forced upon him. He did the right thing, and the brave thing, but I don't think he went in planning to do anything like that. He just had fun up until that point. I was a bit surprised by his death, but it felt "right" for the story I guess. Otherwise everything would have been "too good". It gave the story a little more weight allowing the bad guys a small victory. It was very noble too, which was cool.
It was some nice justice, but it did feel a little forced. I certainly think the people could have believed it, and I think in that instance he would've been lynched then and there, and probably wouldn't have had a chance to defend himself. But something about it was a little off. I guess it felt a little jab by, like the good guy was digging into evil a little bit. In a story like this with flat characters, your archetype good has to be full good. The fact that he basically ends up killing this guy ruins that a little bit. It takes away from the child-like ness of the story, which was a little uncomfortable.
I agree that heroism is essential in making any story enjoyable—whether it be movies, books, video games, etc. I definitely think that Carl wanted the fame that went along with being incognegro and reporting on it, but I don’t think he understood the severity of it or being willing to take on the emotional burdens of the lynchings. I feel like he wanted some kind of justice for his race—didn’t most people who were African American want this? I thought his death was necessary. He came off as this cocky and arrogant character with intentions of fame. But, he redeemed himself when he sacrificed himself to save Zane. This made my ideas change about Carl—turning him into a hero figure versus his alternative intentions.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that Mr. Huey got what he deserved but I also believe that because he is a wealthy white man, it will only be temporary and he will redeem himself. We never truly find out what happens to Mr. Huey but one could only wish that the repercussions are some that he isn’t able to get over. People can really be that naïve because people view the media as accurate and a reliable source of information—we see this going on today regardless of political views and/or personal morals.
I do think it is a bit too general to say that all narratives are about heroism, that is beside the point. Incognegro definitely handles these heroic themes. By using familiar tropes like a masked "super hero" with a dark noir art style, Incognegro creates a world just fantastic enough where a protagonist can struggle with dark themes and violence while still "saving the day" in the end.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, that ending was exactly the kind of justice I was hoping for. It is quite sweet to see the evil Mr. Huey getting what was coming to him. Incognegro has vanquished one foe as he vows to continue his work in exposing those involved in lynchings. A great ending that provides some hope and victory in a dark setting filled with violence and bloodshed.
Carl was a bit misguided, but it's unclear whether or not he wanted to take Zane's place. He was clearly jealous of him, both for his fame and his uncovering horrific events, but his drive to follow Zane seemed to come primarily from his wish to better understand what was happening. The problem was that he was far too naive about the dangers involved. Moreover, he was often downright oblivious to danger because he was too busy taking perverse pleasure in passing for white. That being said, I was actually saddened to see him die such a brutal death. The lynch scene was horrific to say the least, but it does keep the story tethered to reality as such retribution was very likely for a man in his position.
ReplyDeleteA part of me kind of wanted Mr. Huey to die as well, but that would have been too easy. He was established as a character who was a bigoted, racist, and violent as a man can be, and most people would have no qualms about seeing him die at the end. But I actually like the way that the story ended, with him being "revealed" as Incognegro. It was somewhat unethical (and potentially illegal) for Zane to frame Huey like that, but he needed to be given a taste of his own medicine. The townsfolk buying the story so readily makes it even more true and even more damning; in so many instances, tensions erupt into violence simply because of the inflammatory nature of media coverage. History is rife with examples, from Pulitzer and Hearst basically forcing us into the Spanish-American War with yellow journalism to the extremely polarized nature of modern media outlets like Fox News and MSNBC. However, I would not call our susceptibility to this naive; instead, I would point the finger at our natural inclination to listen to the loudest voice.
ReplyDeleteBased on the story, I highly doubt that Carl wanted to take Zane’s place as Incognegro for the fame because there wasn’t any fame in being Incognegro. This was the main reason that Zane didn’t want to do the article anymore because he felt he wasn’t getting the recognition as a writer by writing under the pseudo name. Carl most likely wanted to keep the story’s going because he saw how the stories brought the truth to the surface. Since Zane wasn’t going to keep it going, he was willing to step up even though he had no writing experience. Carl’s death was the ultimate sacrifice made in the name of justice. Carl could have ratted out Zane and helped Mr. Huey find him, but he didn’t. Carl’s sacrifice played a big role in getting Zane out of the south so he could write about what happened.
If you search poetic justice in the dictionary, you would most likely find the ending to this book. Do I believe Mr. Huey’s character had it coming? Yes, after all the lynching he personal led and took part in, it serves him right to get a taste of his own medicine. As many class mates have pointed out, it is possible that the townspeople would believe that article because there are still many people who believe whatever the news tells them. People have fallen for a lot worse; just look at the Holocaust.
I also think that the idea of all stories involving heroes is a bit of a stretch. But that being said, Inconegro is definitely a story that has its heroes. Carl though sadly isn't a hero in motivation at all the right times. Carl did have his redeeming moment when he made the ultimate sacrifice for Zane by taking his identity,
ReplyDeleteI think the outcome of Mr. Huey was a fitting one for book. Johnson does a good job coming full circle with his motifs of the interaction mistaken identity and media. I do think, back then, people were not skeptics of media or even other people's world so it was not viewed as naive for them to believe in their media. It was considered honest, and humble not to question and follow the crowd within society, especially the conservative society of south in the story.
Carl's death was one of the only suprising parts of the story. Since we were following this "hero's tale" I figured surely Zane would save Carl just in time. Not so. Killing Carl off conveyed to me how nonsensical these lynchings were. It didn't matter who you were or what you were doing, you could be hanged for whatever they made up. I agree that these aren't well developed characters, but I assumed that was intentional. You know, black and white, good and bad, etc etc. I thought that Johnson was oversimplifying to make a point about race (race is made up and puts people in clean little boxes so that you don't have to think anymore about who that person is, things like that).
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the ending to this story. I was super satisfied with what Mr. Huey got though in some (albeit sick?) way I wanted to see him suffer like we saw Carl suffer.
I think Carl wanted the fame, sure, but he also knew that Zane never had his name published with his articles. There was not much fame to be given. I think he also wants the satisfaction of knowing he can do what Zane can do, to live up to his successes. I am not saying he does not care about justice, but he seems to be excited to get into the success and the action Zane has. Carl wants to take on new roles and have adventures, as is evident by his need to act British while playing cards with the Southern locals rather than just acting like a white American man. He seems to be more of a partner rather than a lone leader, the one who gathers the information that the leader will use. Carl's death was very sad! It felt like I was watching someone kick a puppy!
ReplyDeleteI loved the ending of this. The poetic justice was fantastic and seemed like something straight out of a western, which this novel is in a sense. The incognegro seems to reveal a lot of truths, so it makes sense that when he printed something this groundbreaking the crowd would not only believe it but go crazy about it. There had been issues with their law enforcement and the visitors to the town created a frenzy, so this seems likely to be the end result.
The killing of Carl illustrates the dangers of identity, revealing yet another facet of the complicated notion. In terms of his motivation, I would argue that just as Zane wished for personal recognition despite his obvious achievements, Carl desired the meaningfulness of Zane's work (which he himself did not fully appreciate). It's not until the end, and the death of Carl, that Zane finds the satisfaction and unselfish meaning in his work.
ReplyDeleteI would argue that students' issues with an oversimplified South comes from a leaning towards a more contemporary South. There are plenty of cultures were this ubiquitous ignorance could have easily been found, and of course a Klansmen is going to be the perfect vestige for this idea. Also, Incognegro is obviously borrowing for the conventions of hard-boiled fiction, in which such characters are common.
As far as the ending, I think that the naivety lies in the public's willingness to racially discriminate. Throughout the novel, an emphasis is place on the fluidity of identity, and its performative nature, so for this to be the demise of the embodiment of discriminative evil is certainly poetically just.
I think that Carl's desire to become Incognegro is simply a heroic one. He looks up to Zane for his work and wishes to do the same. Perhaps to some extent, Carl wanted to be remembered as a famous hero among the blacks in his community in the same way that his girlfriend idolized Zane. Maybe he even just wanted to impress her. However, I think that Carl is also seeking justice. This can be seen in the scene on the train where the white man begins to talk badly about black people, and Carl nearly attacks him. Zane has to calm him down because Carl's sense of justice is so strong that it practically overrides his reason. Another example of this comes at his death. His death took me totally by surprise and was incredibly powerful and especially emotionally evocative. But I think that his death also proves Carl's true heroism and sense of justice. Because he impersonated Incognegro, he takes the fall for him and sacrifices his life to save Zane. Nothing is more truly heroic than complete self-sacrifice for a friend.
ReplyDeleteI found the ending to be incredibly poetically just. Frankly, I just plain loved it. And yes, I think that when people are so blinded by racial prejudice and hate, they can be naive enough to believe Mr. Huey to be black. The gutter at the end of the novel, namely being an unfinished ending, allowed my mind to envision the tragic end of Mr. Huey, lynched and hung much the same way as Carl, and his reputation ruined.
Carl's desire to take over as Incognegro after Zane retires seems to come out of a need for Carl to find some purpose in his own life. It's revealed fairly early on that he's not the most motivated of individuals, and when confronted about his lack of money he becomes defensive. For Carl, the idea of finally doing something of real importance in his life was paramount in his want to replace Zane.
ReplyDeleteIn many ways Carl echoes the general theme of measuring external appearances against internal truths that is prevalent throughout the story. It's easy to peg Carl as simply being the comedic relief, perhaps even a burden to Zane. As the story unfolds, more aspects of Carl's character become apparent. It is revealed that underneath his bluster is a man who truly cares about the social injustices that he sees around him. And in trying to rectify those injustices, he suffers the ultimate price. Of course, for the reader Carl's death is sad, as he's quite a fun character. However, his death is an important reminder of the absolute brutality that persisted throughout the Jim Crow Deep South.
I actually had a big problem with how the story ends. There's a lot of buildup to Mr. Huey throughout the story, and his eventual comeuppance feels slight in comparison. He personally leads two different lynchings throughout the course of the book, and the reader gets no chance of catharsis in seeing him pay for his crimes.
Zane's plan of revealing Huey as Incognegro also doesn't make much sense when you take in so many of the surrounding factors. Huey was a well-known, active member of the KKK. Who knows how many black men and women he killed during his tenure? Surely that, and his connections in the Klan, would offer ample proof that he was not Incognegro. Also, it simply doesn't make sense that a crowd that would react so violently to a unveiled "race traitor" would believe (or even read) a black-published newspaper in the first place. Johnson shows a lot of nuance throughout the majority of the book, but the ending in general seems quite rushed.