The Artificial Nigger Parallels

"The Artificial Nigger" is actually one of my favorite O'Connor stories. This time around the idea of racism was in the back of my mind, mostly because I was prepared for it, and also because the racism lies only in the dialogue, while the narration remains completely neutral. During this reading, I was drawn to the different parallels O'Connor paints between Mr. Head and Nelson. She uses the sun and moon imagery to demonstrate the changes in mood throughout the entire story. The moon is described very similarly in the opening paragraph and at the end of the story. The moonlight covers the ground with a silver light in both descriptions, and throughout the story, the sun's location depicts the tone of the current events. When Mr. Head and Nelson are on their journey together, the sun shines in front of them, and as Nelson carefully keeps his distance from Mr. Head, the sun disappears behind the houses, letting darkness set in. The image of the moon, similar to its original, is described in the end as the two get ready to get off the train. These images of the sky reflect the journey Mr. Head and Nelson go on as individuals. They begin in a constant childish competition with each other, and they end feeling grateful to have the other with them.

I view the two characters as starting off with the same aggressive nature; Mr. Head portrays strength, and Nelson portrays helplessness. They switch roles on page 227 when Mr. Head's plan goes too far. He is described as having slumped shoulders with his neck bent over, while Nelson embodies strength and pride. After this description, Mr. Head hopes that the drinking fountain will bring him and his grandson back together. I may be stretching it, but I think the true segregation in the story is between Mr. Head and Nelson. It is most noticeable when Nelson "...passed by the spigot, disdaining to drink where his grandfather had" (pg. 228). The image that I have when reading that passage reminds me of the segregated bathrooms and drinking fountains during the 1950's. Mr. Head makes such a big deal out of Nelson seeing a black person, and Nelson doesn't even blink when the man passes him on the train. These two events represent Nelson's innocence, rather than what his grandfather calls ignorance.

O'Connor uses the simplest dialogue to show us the two characters' acceptance of each other. When Mr. Head realizes the weight of his betrayal, his stubbornness is erased by yelling, "I'm lost!...I can't find the station" (Pg. 228). He finally admits that he got them lost, and the boy does the same when the statue of the "artificial nigger" brings them together. Nelson says, "Let's go home before we get ourselves lost again" (pg. 230). The two seem to be back on the same page, both having "[seen what all it was to see]" (pg. 219).