Flight · Chapter
XIX explained
Mimi reflects on her success and the loneliness it has brought, six years after leaving Harlem.
What happens
Mimi reflects on her success and the loneliness it has brought, six years after leaving Harlem. She feels a deep yearning for her own people but is trapped by her decision to pass as white, enduring the prejudice of her new associates in silence. She finds some solace in exploring the diverse neighborhoods of New York. In Paris, she is cornered by the wealthy and garrulous Mrs. Horace Crosby, who insists on taking her to lunch and showing off her tasteless purchases.
Themes in this chapter
Racial Identity and Passing
Mimi's internal conflict about passing as white is central, as she yearns for her own people but feels forced into a life of duplicity.
Class and Materialism
Mrs. Crosby's vulgar display of wealth and her 'loot' from Paris highlight the materialism of the nouveau riche, contrasting with Mimi's refined taste.
Resilience and Self-Reinvention
Mimi's journey from the 'mire' of Harlem to the mistress of a successful shop demonstrates her resilience and ability to reinvent herself, though at a great personal cost.
Characters to notice
- Mimi Daquin
Now the mistress of Francine's shop, she is successful but lonely and conflicted about her life of passing as white.
- Francine
Has virtually surrendered the shop to Mimi, visiting less frequently as she spends time in Mount Vernon and Florida.
- Mrs. Horace Crosby
The wealthy, ostentatious wife of a Chicago businessman, she corners Mimi in Paris and insists on lunch, displaying her vulgar taste.
- Aunt Sophie
Mimi reflects that it has been six years since she left her.
- Old Jean
Mimi thinks of her son, Petit Jean, as a reason she has resisted temptation.
Key passages
“She had often heard, without giving much thought to the matter, that usually when coloured persons went white, in order to prove their whiteness, they were more anti-Negro than anybody else.”
Mimi had heard that people who passed as white often became more prejudiced against Black people to prove their whiteness.
This reflects Mimi's understanding of the psychology of passing.
“She missed the warm colourfulness of life among her own, she had never been able to shake off the chill she felt even when her present-day associates sought to be most cordial.”
Mimi longed for the vibrant culture of her own people and always felt a coldness from her white associates, even when they were friendly.
This highlights Mimi's deep sense of alienation and loss.
“And she resented bitterly the airs of superiority they assumed.”
She strongly disliked the condescending attitude of the white people she now associated with.
This shows Mimi's resentment of the racial hierarchy she is forced to navigate.
“She felt like reminding them that to her there were two ways of achieving and maintaining superiority: one, by being superior; the other, by keeping somebody else inferior.”
Mimi wanted to tell them that superiority could be achieved either by being truly better or by making others feel lesser.
This is a key insight into Mimi's philosophy on race and class.
“She feared the possibility of letting herself be hurt again. Better anything than that, she whispered often to herself when alone in her room at night.”
Mimi was terrified of being emotionally hurt again and told herself that anything was better than that.
This reveals the deep emotional scars from her past that drive her current choices.
