How we cite our quotes: (Entry. Paragraph)
Quote #7
"Florida Navaho," he interrupted triumphantly. "Your mother was part Florida Navaho, wasn't she?" I felt like laughing, first with relief and then at the thought of my Dutch-Irish mother being anything so exotic as Florida Navaho. At the same time, I felt vaguely disappointed to find Christophe no brighter than the rest of us. (10.118)
There are two pretty interesting things about Griffin's interaction with Christophe. The first is that even though he's a liar, Christophe brings up the fact that the majority of African-Americans are of mixed heritage. That's something most people don't talk about. The second thing is, by making up his stories, he is trying to find roots, something that many African-Americans still search for today since slavery basically denied them the ability to maintain their connections to their heritage.
Quote #8
When my wife answered, the strangeness of my situation again swept over me. I talked with her and the children as their husband and father, while reflected in the glass windows of the booth I saw another man they would not know. At this time, when I wanted most to lose the illusion, I was more than ever aware of it, aware that I was not the man she knew, but a stranger who spoke with the same voice and had the same memory. (15.150)
What do you think makes Griffin feel like such a stranger to his family? Is it society? Is it his new looks? Or is it something else?
Quote #9
At such a time, the Negro can look at the starlit skies and find that he has, after all, a place in the universal order of things. The stars, the black skies affirm his humanity, his validity as a human being. He knows that his belly, his lungs, his tired legs, his appetites, his prayers and his mind are cherished in some profound involvement with nature and God. The night is his consolation. It does not despise him. (15.153)
So black people can only have their identities affirmed by nature. Oh, now that's just super.