Duality ("Twoness") in Harlem Renaissance Literature
It's not easy to understand yourself when you see you differently than other people do. And that's the heart of duality, Shmoopers.
In case you haven't noticed, we still live in a society that (to our great sadness) privileges whiteness. So if you're black, there are multiple ways you can know yourself, can see yourself. First, you've got your own understanding of you. And then there's the way you know white people see you.
Sounds kind of tough to deal with, right? Have you ever felt like you're walking around with multiple identities inside of you?
But why entertain our questions when you can get some knowledge dropped on you by the guy who came up with the whole idea of "twoness" and African American identity in the first place: W.E.B. Du Bois. In his book The Souls of Black Folk, he writes:
One ever feels his twoness, — an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body.
See what we mean? "Warring ideals," "two unreconciled strivings"—not exactly pleasant, huh? But he also calls all of this "twoness" a kind of "second-sight," a way of understanding that lets African American people see themselves from an outsider's perspective—from the perspective of a white person.
Surely what goes on in white people's heads regarding black life and identity can't be all sunshine and rainbows. But this second-sight also makes one a lot more knowledgeable about the differences and similarities between people. And that insight can be very valuable.
Chew on This:
Itching for a doubly (or multiply) conscious narrative perspective, a la DuBois's "twoness"? Boy, have we got the guy for you: the narrator of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man. You'll be on the edges of your desk-chairs with delight, kiddos. We promise.
Want to see DuBois's idea of "second sight" or "double-consciousness" in action? If you're in a versical mood, there may be no better place to start than your English teacher's favorite poem, Langston Hughes's, "Theme for English B."