The One Where Shawn Once Again Connects A Work of African-American Literature to the Domestic Ideal

WEB Du Bois, in his theory of double consciousness, noted the tendency of oppressed groups to view themselves through the lens of the oppressor. Notably, he did not suggest that this was merely an arcane psychological preoccupation but an organizing principle of many of the institutions in the United States that sought to uplift the newly emancipated Black American during what this course broadly labels as the Reconstruction period. According to Du Bois, organizations like Booker T. Washington's Tuskegee Institute, embraced stereotypes of Black Americans as lazy and servile by exhorting them to focus on manual trades that would be useful to White Southerners instead rather than aiding them in developing an effective civic society and agitating for equality. In addition, Du Bois attacked double consciousness as perpetuating an elite, the teachers and intellectuals of such institutions, who believed that they differed from the rest of their race in having truer knowledge of their community's interests and needs.

The Blue Veins in "The Wife of His Youth" plays exactly that role. Located in merely "a certain Northern city," the Blue Veins cite their purpose as "to establish and maintain correct social standards among a people whose social condition presented almost unlimited room for improvement" (Chesnutt 1). The early description of the society highlights the insecurity its members face in distinguishing themselves as members of a superior elite qualified to guide the rest of the Black community. Belonging to the society is an equation that involves substantial White ancestry, free birth, and proper social etiquette, but it is not an exact recipe. Although the society derives the moniker "Blue Veins" from the generally lighter complexion of its members, they dismiss the term as merely a label given to them by an "envious outsider" and deny any requirement of color (Chesnutt 1). In addition, despite the majority of members being free-born, former slaves might gain themselves membership by emphasizing the "romantic circumstances" of their life trajectory instead of the "grosser aspects" of "their servile origin" (Chesnutt 2). This quote, in particular highlights the insecurity of this social dance. The Blue Veins constantly must create an image of a lesser, inherently flawed Black American in order to justify their power.

Mr. Ryder, the unofficial leader and preserve of the Blue Veins, is an active participant in this culture of insecurity. Because he is "not as White," he must hold himself to a higher standard in terms of behavior and pursuits. The text notes "his hair was almost straight; he was always neatly dressed; his manners were irreproachable, and his morals above suspicion." In addition to this code of behavior, Ryder also populates his life with art and learning from the Western canon. He is able to "repeat whole pages of the great English poets" and keeps his residence "handsomely furnished with" "a piano" and "some choice engravings" (Chesnutt 2).

The story exercises considerable focus on how this insecurity drives Mr. Ryder to some frankly venal behaviors. Despite being regarded as “a catch” by various “young ladies and their mothers,” the only woman to truly catch Mr. Ryder’s attention is Molly Dixon, a product of the finer colored society of Washington DC. His intentions of marriage do not seem to be motivated by any real desire to start a family. In fact, such a marriage blatantly subverts any domestic ideal, as Ryder is “old enough to have been her father” (Chessnut 2). Rather, she is “whiter than he” and “better educated” (Chessnut 3). Such a marriage is merely utilitarian for him, part of a Social Darwinist vision in which he seeks to lead his lineage to “absorption in by the white race” (Chessnut 3). Thus, Ryder embarks on a quest to throw a ball in order to enhance his own social standing.

However, we later learn that this is not the first time he has spurned morality in order to climb the social ladder. Soon after making his plans, he’s visited by Liza Jane, an enslaved woman who he was married to back in the South. A freeman of mixed ancestry, he fled to the North when he learned that his wife’s master planned to capture and enslave him. Arriving in the North, he shed his old identity and assumed a new one in order to advance socially as part of the Blue Veins. Thus, as Liza Jane inquires about her missing husband; he feigns ignorance. After all, he can’t risk jeopardizing his social position by associating with a woman who is “so black” and speaks in the Southern vernacular. Interestingly, both the description of Liza Jane and her own speech suggest a domestic ideal of the nuclear family. She wears “a little red shawl,” “an old-fashioned brass brooch,” and a “large bonnet” and highlights her skill in cooking when mentioning her source of employment (Chessnut 4). In addition, she conveys a staunch dedication to her search for her husband, stating, “I’s be’n ter Noo Orleens, an’ Atlanty, an’ Charleston, an’ Richmon’; an’ w’en I’d be’n all ober de Souf I come ter de Norf.” She wistfully highlights her hope that “we’ll bofe be as happy in freedom as we wuz in de ole days befo’ de wah” (Chessnut 6).

At the end of the story, Ryder, at the ball he planned for his socially advantageous proposal, decides to tell his true story, but in merely hypothetical terms. In formulating an argument that this theoretical wife deserves to be “acknowledged,” he repeatedly hearkens back to a discourse of a domestic ideal (Chessnut 10). He positions himself as one who is lacking the gentle touch of a woman, noting that “our good host [himself] has been trying alone” but remains “largely dependent on the gentler sex that makes life worth living.” Speaking of women as natural caregivers, he remarks that they are there “in infancy for protection, in manhood for companionship, in old age for care and comforting.” In particular, he highlights the narrative he is about to relate as a testament to the natural “fidelity and devotion” of women (Chessnut 8). At the end of the tale, he reveals that the story is about himself and introduces the titular “wife of [his] youth” (Chessnut 10).

In one respect, “The Wife of his Youth,” seeks to grapple with the legacy of slavery by highlighting the destructive effects of the racial ideology that accompanied it. The story shows how double consciousness results in a Black elite that exists in a constant state of insecurity and employs venal methods to set themselves apart from the majority of their race. This self-centered notion of racial uplift replaces an ethic of solidarity. On the other hand, the focus on a marriage as a relationship being fractured by whiteness is also important. As we saw in Harriet Jacobs’ slave narrative, the creation of a Black family is a central theme and aspiration in African-American literature. By invoking this domestic appeal, “The Wife of His Youth” mounts an even stronger condemnation of the double consciousness that remains in the aftermath of Reconstruction.