Percival Everett's Concept Of Double Consciousness

Percival Everett’s work is a triumph of postmodern literature; satirical, absurd, witty, and riddled with pop culture references. I Am Not Sidney Poitier insists on not only delivering a commentary about race and identity, but on making the reader uncomfortable with the realities of discrimination. While the novel is humorous in many parts, at its core is a biting condemnation of racism and elitism. Hidden behind Everett’s comedic writing is much melancholy and dissatisfaction, both explicit and implicit. I Am Not Sidney Poitier is a poignant twenty-first century commentary on the ‘double consciousness’ experienced by African Americans. In order to accurately comprehend the relationship between I Am Not Sidney Poitier and the concept of double consciousness, it is necessary to systematically define and explore the core concepts.

and the representation of Sidney Poitier on Everett’s work; and finally the role double consciousness plays in Percival Everett’s novel. Du Bois’ famous definition of double consciousness was formative in numerous civil rights movements throughout the United States during the twentieth century. Everett uses this concept of double consciousness to explore the ways in which African Americans are relegated into either assimilating into the mould of an ‘acceptable’ black man. Or they are pushed into the margins and represent negative racial stereotypes. Sidney Poitier became the model of an ‘acceptable’ black man through the characters he portrayed in film. I Am Not Sydney Poitier can be seen as a parody of this double consciousness, whereby African Americans are defined by their