Charles W. Chesnutt Analysis

Charles W. Chesnutt is an African-American writer who interests toward color line issue in America after American Civil War. Chesnutt writes many stories, novels and essays. He has a good setting surround literature. Also, he is a lawyer, educator, and activist. This research presents five short stories of the second collection drawing upon his mixed race heritage. Each story in this research talks upon color line starting with The Wife of his Youth, Her Virginia Mammy, The Sheriff’s Children, The Bouquet and The Web of Circumstance.

Mr. Ryder in the Wife of his Youth is the protagonist of the story. He is the leader of Blue Vein Society, light-skinned mulatto man and husband of much dark-skinned woman. Mr. Ryder is an example of the light-skinned mulatto man who dreams to passing as white after the Civil War. Mr. Ryder is the ambiguous man because he does not know his past until his dark-skinned wife appears in his life.
As all mothers, she recognize her daughter but he daughter does not. The daughter thinks of herself as white. “[w]hile the mother belongs to the class of biracial characters2 that Chesnutt refers to in this story as “a little less than white”. In these both stories, color line issue is clear because each protagonist has light-skinned mulatto weather man or woman.

The Sheriff’s Children is a story which talks surround race and racism, responsibility and morality and identity. Some color line’s stories talk about racism not all of them, but in The Sheriff’s Children is clear because the story happens in south where African-American fights to have equal dealt with whites. Also, suspicions of the crime turns around Tom who is mullato man. So, this is reason of main theme