# I: Going Back Home explained — Home to Harlem

> Chapter companion for Home to Harlem by Claude McKay.

## What happens

Jake Brown, a black American longshoreman who enlisted in World War I, is on a freighter heading back to Harlem after two years abroad. He reflects on his experiences in France and London, including his work as a docker in the East End, a race battle between black and white men, and his growing lonesomeness. He is disgusted by the conditions and the Arab crew on the ship, but his sole focus is returning to Harlem and the brown girls he longs for.

## Themes in this chapter

### Displacement and Wandering

Jake is physically displaced in Europe, feeling out of place and longing for his true home in Harlem. His journey highlights the sense of wandering and not belonging.

### Race and Identity

Jake's reflections on being called 'darky' versus 'nigger' reveal his complex feelings about race and how white people's attitudes shape his identity and reactions.

### Home and Belonging

The chapter is driven by Jake's intense desire to return to Harlem, which he associates with brown girls, cabarets, and a sense of belonging that he lacks in Europe.

### Labor and Class

Jake's work as a stoker on a filthy ship and his previous jobs as a longshoreman and docker highlight the harsh labor conditions and class distinctions among workers.

## Character check-ins

### Jake Brown

A black American longshoreman returning home after serving in WWI. He is disillusioned with Europe and yearns for Harlem.

## Key lines

> He preferred white folks’ hatred to their friendly contempt. To feel their hatred made him strong and aggressive, while their friendly contempt made him ridiculously angry, even against his own will.

Jake would rather face outright racism than patronizing tolerance, as hatred empowers him while contempt just makes him furious.

_This reveals Jake's internal conflict about race and how he responds to different forms of white prejudice._

> Why did I ever enlist and come over here? Why did I want to mix mahself up in a white folks’ war? It ain’t ever was any of black folks’ affair.

Jake regrets enlisting in the war, feeling it was not his fight as a black man.

_This reflects Jake's disillusionment with the war and his sense of racial alienation._

> Take me home to Harlem, Mister Ship! Take me home to the brown gals waiting for the brown boys that done show their mettle over there.

Jake pleads with the ship to take him back to Harlem, where the brown women are waiting for the men who proved themselves in the war.

_This shows Jake's romanticized view of Harlem and his desire to return to a place where he belongs._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/i-going-back-home
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/home_to_harlem_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters