Darkwater · Chapter
The Second Coming explained
Three bishops—a white bishop of New York, a black bishop of New Orleans, and a Japanese priest—receive mysterious letters summoning them to Valdosta, Georgia, where a governor is about to be married.
What happens
Three bishops—a white bishop of New York, a black bishop of New Orleans, and a Japanese priest—receive mysterious letters summoning them to Valdosta, Georgia, where a governor is about to be married. Amid growing racial unrest and a strange crowd, the white bishop discovers a black baby in a stable, born to a white mother, and recoils in disgust, while the black bishop and Japanese priest witness the scene as a sign of a second coming.
Themes in this chapter
Racial Oppression and White Supremacy
The white bishop's disgust upon discovering the baby is black, and the governor's fear of black unrest, illustrate deep-seated racial prejudice and the maintenance of white supremacy.
Religion and Moral Hypocrisy
The bishops, supposed moral leaders, react with disgust and political calculation rather than compassion, exposing the hypocrisy of religious institutions in the face of racial injustice.
Double Consciousness and the Veil
The black bishop's apology for the baby's race and the white bishop's inability to see beyond skin color reflect the 'veil' that separates black and white experiences.
Characters to notice
- The Judge
The governor of Georgia, anxious about racial unrest and a political rival, Fleming.
- The Woman
Lucy, the pale mother of the black baby, who worked for the governor.
- The Priest of Japan
A Japanese priest who travels to Valdosta to observe the religious cult and report to Kyoto.
- Fleming
The governor's political opponent, a firebrand who supports black voting rights.
- Jim Crow
Referenced as the 'Jim-Crow' car, symbolizing segregation.
Key passages
“The bishop of New York bent quickly over the baby. It was black! He stepped back with a gesture of disgust”
The white bishop recoiled in revulsion when he saw that the newborn child was black.
This moment encapsulates the racial prejudice that pervades the chapter.
“She’s not really white; I know Lucy—you see, her mother worked for the governor—”
The black bishop tries to explain away the baby's blackness by noting the mother's employment with the governor.
The black bishop's apology reveals internalized racism and the social pressure to conform to white norms.
“I never saw niggers act so. They’re leaving by the hundreds and those who stay are getting impudent! They seem to be expecting something.”
The governor is alarmed by the unusual behavior of black residents, who are leaving or becoming assertive, as if anticipating an event.
The governor's fear reflects the white anxiety about black agency and potential rebellion.