# Epigraph explained — The Blacker the Berry

> Chapter companion for The Blacker the Berry by Wallace Thurman.

## What happens

The epigraph presents a Negro folk saying contrasting skin color with sweetness, followed by a line from Countee Cullen expressing that the speaker's color envelops them, setting a thematic tone of internal conflict and identity.

## Themes in this chapter

### Self-Hatred and Identity

The epigraph juxtaposes a folk saying that valorizes dark skin with Cullen's line 'My color shrouds me in,' suggesting a tension between cultural affirmation and personal alienation or shame about one's skin color.

### Colorism and Intraracial Prejudice

The folk saying 'The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice' directly addresses colorism, implying a hierarchy of skin tones and the value placed on darkness, which is central to the novel's exploration of intraracial prejudice.

## Key lines

> The blacker the berry The sweeter the juice⁠ ⁠… Negro folk saying

A common saying among Black people suggests that darker skin is more desirable or valuable.

_This folk saying introduces the theme of colorism, implying a positive valuation of dark skin that contrasts with societal prejudices._

> My color shrouds me in.⁠ ⁠… Countee Cullen

The speaker feels that their skin color envelops or conceals them, possibly as a burden or source of isolation.

_Cullen's line expresses a sense of being defined or obscured by one's race, hinting at internal conflict and the weight of racial identity._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_blacker_the_berry_se/chapters/epigraph
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_blacker_the_berry_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_blacker_the_berry_se/chapters