Chester Himes, "If He Hollars, Let Him Go" is a novel that expresses the complexity of a black man amidst a time of racial tension. The unpredictable outcome as a result of Bob’s unwarranted
encounter with Madge induces a degree of suspense and mystery evoked through the
false pretense of rape. Bob states, “My
eyes sought Madge’s warning. Hers were
panicky, trapped. Neither of us breathed”
(Himes 179). Madge’s ability to exploit
the gender-race card in her favor culminates to the suspense and power which
her mere presence admonishes to Bob.
Moments later, Madge accuses Bob of rape, immediately conjuring a crowd
of white saviors to the rescue. The
mobship which arises is parallel to the historic chains which have conditioned
generational legacies of the master-slave mentality as well as the sponsorship
against the “black monster;” who’s lust whether fantastical or true was
castigated by lynching.
The power that Madge displays by simply provoking the sexual
delicacies of certain white men through the origins of slavery is enough to
inspire the masculinity for some at the expense of others. For instance, Bob states
“I felt buck-naked and powerless, stripped of my manhood and black against the
whole white world” (Himes 181). Madge brings down the entire history of slavery
as she eviscerates Bob's identity and social status. This event conveys the volatility and reality
which plagued a black man in a white world.
Although the anagnorisis of the story may vary, one possible
assumption is when Bob runs from the authorities after being accused of rape
and ponders on his situation. Bob states
“Then it smacked me, shook me to the core… I’d been instinctively scared of
being caught with a white women screaming ‘Rape.’ Scared of the mob; scared of the violence;
just scared because I was black and she was white; a trapped, cornered, physical
fear” (Himes 187). The grim possibilities
which always lingered in Bob’s head manifested in reality causing his
experience to penetrate his psychology. Through this affect he attained
embodied knowledge triggered by his unconscious and instinctual response to
adapt and survive. Thus, culture becomes
a biological component which imparts experiences and understanding that is
biologized and felt as vividly as the fear of knowing one’s own death. After the peripeteia occurs during the altercation
scene with Madge, she grants him a much deeper understanding of himself and his
tragedy amidst persecution. At this point the protagonist achieves a realization
of himself as he confronts his fear of death or exile by challenging the
historic current of violence, hatred, and oppression in face of what seems
like inevitability.