Analysis Of Cross By Langston Hughes

“Cross” by Langston Hughes is a sonnet that mentions one of the most prominent problems with multiracial children: racial confusion. The narrator of the poem is a mulatto that expresses his frustration at being a child of a white father and a black mother, but never entirely belonging in either race. Thus, he experiences an identity crisis, not knowing which race to feel comfortable and secure in, and he grows up to feel feelings of hatred and anger towards his parents for having an interracial marriage. Although the narrator expresses his resentfulness towards his parents initially, the connotation of the title, “Cross”, the imagery used to describe his parents, and the variation of tone throughout the sonnet, portrays that he eventually forgives his parents and decides to accept his mixed ancestry. The title of the sonnet, “Cross”, evokes numerous different meanings and feelings that encompasses the entire meaning of the poem. Throughout the poem, there are multiple themes of the word “cross”. First of all, the narrator is a mulatto

Thus, the narrator is at a cross-road in terms of his racial identity; he does not know which racial identity to acquire. During this time period: 1920s, the racial segregation between black and white people were very defined and evident, like the colors black and white, with no gray area for mulattos to belong in. Each race had an overwhelming sense of pride and identity, and thus, it was hard for interracial children to completely feel like one with either race; he is not accepted by blacks because he is half white, and he is disapproved of by whites because he is half black As a result, his inner turmoil leads him to resent and blame his rich white father, and