XXIV explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Racial Prejudice and Identity

  Vera's choice to pass for white and the discrimination Joanna faces highlight the pervasive impact of racial prejudice on identity and daily life.

• Love and Sacrifice

  Vera's lost romance with Alexander Harley due to color prejudice and Joanna's lingering feelings for Peter Bye illustrate the sacrifices love demands.

Characters to notice

• Joanna Marshall

  Reflects on her loneliness after Peter's departure and experiences subtle racial discrimination while shopping and seeking a restaurant.

• Vera Manning

  Passing for white, she shares her story of losing Alexander Harley due to her mother's color prejudice and describes her current life working among white people.

• Alexander Harley

  Vera's former lover, a dentist, whose dark skin led to the end of their romance due to Vera's mother's objections.

• Peter Bye

  Mentioned by Vera and Joanna as the man Joanna loved and sent away, still missed by Joanna.

• Harry Portor

  Joanna has been avoiding him because she knows he intends to propose.

Key passages

• “If your mother objected to my being poor I could tell her that I could change that, but when it comes to my color, I can't do anything with that and, by God, I wouldn't if I could.”

  Alexander Harley tells Vera that while he could overcome poverty, he cannot change his race and would not want to.

  Highlights the theme of racial prejudice and identity.

• “You can't imagine—I couldn't—the almost unlimited opportunities that those people have for work, for pleasure, for anything. As a white girl I've seen sights and places, yes, and eaten food that never even knew about when I used to go out with Harley.”

  Vera describes the privileges she enjoys by passing as white, including better jobs, entertainment, and dining.

  Illustrates the theme of class and social mobility through racial passing.