Masked

As I read Fictive Fragments of a Father and Son by David Mura, there was this certain thing that kept popping in my head. I couldn’t point to it at that moment, but as I kept thinking, it finally came to my head: W.E.B Du Bois and his Double Consciousness theory. This term describes the internal conflict experienced by subordinated groups in an oppressive society. The internal dilemma is that a person’s identity is divided into several facets.  Du Bois states in his 1903 book The Souls of Black Folk “double consciousness” as follows: “It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his two-ness, an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder. This concept became a way to describe the dilemma that African Americans were facing because they didn’t know how quite to be American but also African, which caused them to have an identity crisis, I would say.

After reading David Mura’s story, this concept came to my head because I feel that the same issues that African Americans were facing back then, we are still facing them today with not only them but with every single race that is not white. With people that are not white-skinned with blue eyes and blonde hair but that are still Americans. It is safe to say that now in days is not enough to be an American citizen to be able to have the same opportunities as others that do look American.  But rather, I feel that for us to be Americans, we must play the part but still work ten times harder. We must be able to sacrifice who we are as like our cultures and background, and sometimes even allowed people to change or shorten our name. To sacrifice who we are to society is too much. But that is what most immigrants must do. I believe that is what Du Bois tried to convey with the double consciousness how can we be American and remain true to ourselves without taken away who we are. This story demonstrates how damaging it could be for a person to sacrifice who they are to please society.