Banjo · Chapter
XIV: Telling Jokes explained
The chapter opens with the beach boys avoiding Lonesome Blue, a Southern black man who has been expelled from France but refuses to leave.
What happens
The chapter opens with the beach boys avoiding Lonesome Blue, a Southern black man who has been expelled from France but refuses to leave. Despite his dire condition, Banjo and the others refuse to help him, seeing him as a 'dead thing' without the vagabond spirit. The conversation turns to jokes about race, leading to a heated argument between Goosey and Ray about race pride and the nature of 'Negro' jokes. Ray criticizes Goosey's views, calling him a 'coon' and a 'nigger newspaper,' while Goosey accuses Ray of being a man without a country. Ray eventually decides to help Lonesome Blue, taking him away, while the chapter reflects on the fate of an old black seaman who died alone in Joliette.
Themes in this chapter
Race and Identity
The chapter explores racial identity through the debate between Goosey and Ray about 'Negro' jokes, race pride, and the internalized racism within the Black community.
Alienation and Modernity
Lonesome Blue's isolation and the old seaman's death highlight the alienation of individuals who are disconnected from the vagabond community and the modern world.
Characters to notice
- Banjo
Avoids Lonesome Blue, refuses to encourage him, and engages in the debate about jokes, showing his disdain for those who lose the vagabond spirit.
- Lonesome Blue
A Southern black man expelled from France, repeatedly jailed for disobeying expulsion orders, and in a state of physical and spiritual decay.
- Ginger
Advises Lonesome Blue to leave, and shares his own experience of evading deportation, showing his wit and survival skills.
- Goosey
Argues with Ray about race jokes and race pride, accusing Ray of lacking race feeling and being a 'lost sorehead.'
- Ray
Defends the jokes, criticizes Goosey's views, and ultimately decides to help Lonesome Blue, showing a complex mix of cynicism and compassion.
Key passages
“Lonesome Blue had been excited by the boys’ talk of raiding the good wine of the docks. And one fine afternoon he hiked down and bunged out a barrel on the breakwater, right under the eyes of the police.”
Lonesome Blue, inspired by the boys' talk, attempted to steal wine from the docks and was caught by the police.
This incident led to his imprisonment and expulsion order.
“Ginger, for example, having got into difficulties, had been sentenced to do a little time and then to be deported. That was long, long ago. But on coming out of jail he had destroyed the expulsion paper and was still enjoying Marseilles.”
Ginger had once been sentenced to deportation but destroyed the expulsion order and continued to live in Marseilles, evading the police.
This contrasts with Lonesome Blue's inability to evade the authorities.
““You talk just like a nigger newspaper,” said Ray. “Niggah from you, Ray!” exclaimed Goosey, “and with white folks among us! I expected that from Banjo or Malty, but not from you.””
Ray accused Goosey of speaking like a Black newspaper, which offended Goosey, who was surprised to hear such language from Ray in front of white people.
This exchange highlights the tensions around racial language and respectability.