Similarities Between Black Boy And Separate Pasts By Melton Mclaurin

There are two races, African Americans and Whites that are seen and treated different. In this books, Black Boy and Separate Pasts are two distinguish books about African Americans and Whites on their daily life in the 20th century in the United States. In Back Boy by Richard Wright, an African American from Roxie, Mississippi, is about his childhood while living in the South with his family how he became all the obstacles that got on his way to come to the North when he was trying to make a difference. In addition, some obstacles were about segregation between his color and whites how they were perceived. In Separate Pasts by Melton McLaurin, a White man from Wade, North Carolina, is a story about his childhood in the 1950s when segregation existed among

Whites and African Americans in the rural South. McLaurin experienced the separation of whites and blacks, but that did not permitted him to be friends with both races. Throughout this two books will see the respective experiences of an African American and a white child living in the segregated South of the 20th century in the United States.
In Black Boy, a story of a young boy childhood living in the segregated South as an African American. Wright became through a lot of obstacles in his life when he lived in the South then he moved to the North and he still had some obstacles to overcome and he succeeded, Wright wanted to become someone in life so he when to the North. Going to the North made Wright to work as seen in the book he work in various jobs and did not last long in some jobs because of his color and how people perceived him because they saw him as a rebel. Whites will see Africans as unworthy, not trustful, low income, and see them lesser people.
Although, Wright did not understood the difference between Blacks and Whites. “I had seen white men and women upon the streets a thousand times, but they had never looked particularly “white”. To me they were merely people like other people…..” (Wright 23). He had an urge to find out the differences. His mother and grandma would not like to talk about the roles of whites and blacks to Wright.
Wright was a young kid and was a trouble maker.

He came from a family that had punishments for disciplinary they did not tolerate this at all so therefore there will be consequences. This one afternoon Wright was looking for something to do right after being neglected by his mother he saw interest on burning straws then he was curious to see the curtains be on fire. So he did and the whole living room was on fire. “I was lashed out so hard and long that I lost consciousness. I was beaten out of my senses…..” (Wright 7). He was in terror and shame for what he did, he was just curious to see what will happen if the curtains were on fire.
His fear for whites happen when this white police beaten up this black guy. “And when word circulated among the black people…. that a “black” boy had been severely beaten by a “white” man… I assumed that the “white” man must have been the “black” boy father…. But then mother told me that the “white” man was not the father…. He beat the ‘black’ boy” (Wright 24). This caused Wright to look at Whites in a totally different perspective then he did before. He saw Whites as harmful people, but then later he realizes that some whites are kind hearted like the white officer who helped

him.
Wright as an African Americans it shows the living of a daily African American, they go through violence, and beaten from their family or Whites. As today I have friends that are Africans and they say they go through this mostly every day is common for this to happen. In addition, Africans Americans are seen as low income so this causes them to steal from others so they can bring food to their homes.
Some similarities between Black Boy and Separate Pasts, is how they explore the differences between the contrary races of them. Like in Black Boy, Wright seeks to understand the differences between his race and Whites. When he was on a train he notices that there are two sections, blacks and whites. “At last were at the railroad station….for the first time I noticed that there were two lines of people…. a “white” line and a “black” line” (Wright 46). This shows the racism and discrimination between blacks and whites. They had different schools, buses, churches and restaurants depending on your color. Whites are seen as upper class, intelligent and honest persons and African Americans are low income, not smart and un-trustful people.
In this story Black Boy, it describes the life of every African American during the segregated South. They experience a lot of racism and separation between Whites because of their skin color. In the other hand, In Separate Pasts by Melton McLaurin is the respective experiences of Whites in living in the South of 20th century in the United States.
In Separate Pasts, by Melton McLaurin, White race living in a small hometown called Wade, North Carolina during the 1950s. He sees segregation in the South between whites and African Americans, of growing up in a small rural village. In his book he describes his experiences with white and black people, what he experienced of segregation because he seen it happen mostly where ever he goes and because he was friends with Whites and African Americans. He argues that racism lives in the rural areas between blacks and whites. “Wade size…..easy familiarities with its residents related to each other, I learned that differences of class and race, the universal understood and obeyed, to separate its people” (McLaurin 11).
McLaurin was a young boy that was close to his family, he always follow orders especially from his father. He saw the way people will treat African Americans and the way they will treat Whites. So he knew the differences that racism and separation exist, there were two different roles in society on how they look upon them. Whites were in stable jobs, nice homes and were able to provide for their families. In addition, McLaurin was friends with African Americans, he then realizes how different they are when he was playing with his friend Bobo. “For the first time I understood that Bobo and I belonged two fundamentally different worlds, and that society demanded that we each stay in the world designated for us” (McLaurin 41). He realizes that segregation exist and is serious. Also knowledge’s that racism still remains among Whites towards Blacks.
The life of a White person in Separate Pasts connects to the real world in some situations like there is still some preferences where they treat better a white person among an African American. Racism still exist upon some people in today’s society.
Although in Separate Pasts, McLaurin saw the roles that played between both races, Blacks and Whites he distinguish the differences in each race. “Wade’s homes and churches, its schools reminded members of both races, Africans and Whites of their respective roles”. (McLaurin 65) He saw the differences between them, like whites being more educated, manners and well recognized. In the other hand, blacks seen as less people and treated with no respect.