Anotherin the story is Julian's own attitude regarding race. Julian criticizes his
mother for her outdated, racist attitudes towards black Americans, but his own views and desires
are not as enlightened as they seem.
For one, Julian wishes he could return
to the life of ease and privilege afforded his family through their race and class. He thinks
back to their old mansion, which was once owned by their slave-owning ancestors, with longing.
He speaks with a black man on the bus, not to be genuinely friendly, but to annoy his
mother.
This is ironic because Julian praises himself for being "free
of prejudice and unafraid of face facts" compared to his old-school mother. But he really
is not as free of these negative attitudes as he thinks. He does not seem to see black people as
other human beings much more than his mother does, but as...
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