Why You Reckon Langston Hughes

The Effects of Poverty and Racism in "Why Y'all Reckon?" by Langston Hughes (Essay Example)

The Effects of Poverty and Racism in

📌Category:	Literature
📌Words:	826
📌Pages:	4
📌Published:	02 October 2022

Society believes that people who uphold a sure privilege are happy and accept no other bug. Harlem Renaissance writer Langston Hughes challenges this conventionalities in his short story "Why, You Reckon?". This story as well speaks well-nigh the effects of poverty and racism. "Why, You Reckon?" is based around two broke hungry African American men who rob a seemingly rich, happy white man.

The story starts out with the man saying" Well sir, I ain't never been mixed upwards in nothing incorrect earlier nor since, and I don't intend to be again, but I was hongry that night. Indeed I was!". This story was prepare during the Great Depression where racism was too very high so the narrator did not have any money. Another man pulls up by him on the road and asks him if he wanted to brand a little money then suggests that they rob one of the white men coming out of a local speakeasy. The writer uses common weather to bring the characters together for a particular consequence. The narrator says no at first, then the human being in the car pressures him by telling him that if y'all want something you have to take it and by suggesting that white folks do non care well-nigh him and so he should non care well-nigh them.

The narrator must choose to either rob the human or risk going hungry another night. With the persuasion from the man in the car and his extreme hunger the man agrees with the program. Poverty breeds stress and hunger which tin can crusade someone to make bad decisions. The man in the car then starts to devise a plan to rob the men, he says " Now, mind, now. I live correct hither, sleep on the ash pile back of the furnace down in this basement. Don't nobody never come downward there after nighttime. They let me stay hither for keepin' the furnace goin' at night. Now, you grab this hither guy nosotros pick out, push him down to the basement door, correct here, I'll pull him in, nosotros'll drag him on back yonder to the furnace room and rob him, money, scout, clothes, and all. Then push him out in the rear court. If he hollers—and he sure will

holler when that common cold air hits him—folks'll just recollect he's some drunken white human being. Just by that time we'll be long gone. What practice you say, boy?"

Party starts and the men set their eyes on their target. A homo named Edward was walking towards Lenox to become something for his wife and the men nabbed him. They have Edward and brand him sent on lumps of coal. The human being that was in the automobile starts to think they should hold him for ransom but quickly decides against it. The narrator says that they never intended to kidnap Edward; only they just wanted to have some of his money and belongings for food. Edward gave the men some of his luxury belongings then the man that was in the car starts to take some of his frustration with his circumstances out on Edward. "Don't you know," the colored young man went on, "that I been walkin' up and down Lenox Artery for iii or four months tryin' to find some way to earn money to get my shoes half-soled? Hither, look at 'em." He held upwardly the palms of his feet for the white boy to run into. In that location were sure large holes in his shoes. "Looka hither!" he said to that white boy. " The man that was in the car is taking his anger out at Edward because he is poor and Edward is rich.

The man that was in the automobile then leaves with all of Edwards belongings, leaving the narrator with what he had at the beginning– naught. The narrator runs later him asking "Ain't yous gonna gimme none?" I hollered, runnin' after him downwards the dark hall. "Where's my part?, the man keeps running and never comes back. Edward tells the narrator that this was the most exciting thing that e'er happened to him. The narrator is dislocated considering this white human seemingly has information technology all. He is white, rich, and surrounded by beautiful women. The narrator tells Edward that if he had his money he would be happy all the time and Edward replies he would not. Hughes shows in this story that whether you are rich or poor, the way you run across life depends on you.

In this story, Hughes shows that whether you live in a mansion or on the street you will not experience happiness or fulfillment until you larn to enjoy the simple things in life. The narrator questions at the cease "What do yous suppose is the matter with rich white folks? Why yous reckon they ain't happy?". Edward had everything the two men wanted and was still no more satisfied with life than they were. Sometimes people in poverty resort to crime to get something they need. The narrator would normally not agree with something like this just considering he was so hungry, cold and tired he went forth with it. The narrator was then used past the man that was in the machine to jack Edward. The man that persuaded the narrator to rob Edward left him with nil.