Zora Neale Hurston: An African American Identity

There are sometimes instances in one’s life in which one feels he or she has two different identities. For example, a teenager may act silly and be talkative when he or she is with friends but isolate or become shy around his or her parents and other adults. In this situation, the teenager has two separate identities - an identity shown around friends and an identity shown around adults. In history, many African Americans experienced a similar feeling of having two different identities - an African identity and an American identity - known as double consciousness, a term coined by African American activist and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) co-founder W.E.B. Du Bois in his book The Souls of Black Folk. Throughout

the Harlem Renaissance - a period of artistic, musical, and literary development among African Americans in Harlem, New York lasting from the 1910s until the mid-1930s - writers discussed the idea of double consciousness in their work. One such writer was Claude McKay, who was born on September 5, 1889 in Sunny Ville, Clarendon Parish, Jamaica and later moved to Harlem where he wrote novels, essays, and poems such as “America”. McKay died in Chicago in 1948. Another writer during the Harlem Renaissance was Langston Hughes. Born in Missouri in 1902, Hughes gained his interest in literature and education from his storytelling grandmother. Starting in eighth grade, Hughes wrote books and poems, including “I, Too”. Langston Hughes died in New York City on May 22, 1967. Yet another Harlem Renaissance writer was Zora Neale Hurston, who was born on January 7, 1891 in the all-black town of Eatonville, Florida and had a childhood sheltered from racism before moving to New York in 1925 to study anthropology at Barnard and write books and essays such as “How It Feels to Be Colored Me”. Hurston died in poverty in 1960. As presented by Claude McKay’s “America”, Langston Hughes’s “I, Too”, and Zora Neale Hurston’s “How It Feels to Be Colored Me”, double consciousness was a major idea during the Harlem Renaissance.
One piece of writing from the Harlem Renaissance that relates to the idea of double consciousness is “America” by Claude McKay. “America” is a poem revealing McKay’s mixed feelings toward America through a metaphor comparing the country to a woman whom he also feels conflicted about. In the beginning of “America”, McKay discusses how he, an African American, is being treated by white people in America. “[S]he feeds me bread of bitterness, and sinks into my throat her tiger’s tooth, stealing my breath of life” (McKay, 1-3). In this quote, McKay’s African identity is revealed in that although he lives in America, he is being treated cruelly by the white people there and cannot live a peaceful life like other Americans. Instead, he is faced with disappointment and anger because of how he is acted toward and viewed differently. McKay has negative feelings toward America at this point in the poem, and so his African identity is displayed. Towards the end of “America”, Claude McKay explains another, conflicting stance he has toward America despite how white people there are treating him. “I stand within her walls with not a shred of terror, malice, not a word of jeer.” (McKay, 9-10). From this quote it is evident that McKay respects America, and in doing so, shows his American identity. In lines 9-10, McKay feels confident and unafraid of the racism in America. These feelings reveal that, at times, McKay believes he is an American like everyone else because he has deference for his country and feels safe in America. Double consciousness is a theme of Claude McKay’s “America”, as shown by his description of the cruelty he is faced with - which reveals his African identity - as well as his deference toward America and lack of fear of the racism there - which reveal his American identity.
Another written work from the Harlem Renaissance that holds the theme of double consciousness is “I, Too” by Langston Hughes. “I, Too” is a poem comparing public segregation to a boy with darker skin than the rest of his family who is excluded from eating dinner with his family and company. At the beginning of “I, Too”, the speaker reveals his African identity and feelings of ostracization from America. “I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes.” (Hughes, 1-4). In this quote, the speaker wishes to be American but feels that, despite living in America, he cannot be American like everyone else because of his skin color, which causes other people to view him differently as well. The speaker is “sent to eat in the kitchen when company comes”, or segregated from white people, which results in his feeling like he is not American but African. During the poem, however, a shift takes place, resulting in the reveal of the speaker’s American identity. “Besides, they’ll see how beautiful I am and be ashamed-- I, too, am America.” (Hughes, 15-18). By the end of the poem, the speaker discovers his American identity. He realizes that he can be - and is - an American like everyone else, which is shown when he says “I, too, am America”, as opposed to “I, too, sing America.” The speaker also realizes that the racist white people who practiced segregation were wrong in believing he was nothing more than a dark-skinned African. Double consciousness is an evident idea in Langston Hughes’s “I, Too”, as presented by the speaker’s feelings of exclusion from America, as well as the shift in the poem in which the speaker discovers his American identity.
Not all African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance felt double consciousness, however, as shown by Zora Neale Hurston’s “How It Feels to Be Colored Me”.

“How It Feels to Be Colored Me” is an essay exposing Hurston’s feelings about being an African American in a world of white people and her positive attitude despite being black. In the middle of her essay, Hurston reveals that she has times when she does not feel colored, but she also has times when she does feel colored, such as at Barnard. “Among the thousand white persons, I am a dark rock surged upon, overswept by a creamy sea. I am surged upon and overswept, but through it all, I remain myself.” (Hurston, 65-66). In this quote, Hurston explains her feelings of being overwhelmingly outnumbered by white people, which make her feel colored - or African, speaking in terms of double consciousness. Despite these feelings of being alone in a crowd of white people, Hurston maintains her identity as Zora, not allowing herself to become caught in confusion over her race and identity. Although Hurston feels African around white people, she explicitly states that she does not experience double consciousness. “I have no separate feeling about being an American citizen and colored. I am merely a fragment of the Great Soul that surges within the boundaries. My country, right or wrong.” (Hurston, 99-101). From this quote it is evident that Hurston experiences the opposite of double consciousness - she feels that she can be colored and an American citizen at the same time. Hurston feels she is part of America, unlike many African Americans of the time who felt confused about their separate African and American identities. In addition, Hurston believes America is her place to live whether or not she is being faced with segregation and racism. In contrast to many African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance, Zora Neale Hurston did not feel she had separate African and American identities, as shown by her confidence

despite being and African American in a sea of white people, as well as her stating she feels like a part of the American soul whether or not there are racism and segregation.
During the Harlem Renaissance, many - but not all - African Americans experienced double consciousness, which is shown in “America” by Claude McKay, “I, Too” by Langston Hughes, and “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston. Each of the writers from the time impacted the Harlem Renaissance in a different way. Through his literature, Claude McKay served as an advocate for social justice and fair treatment for African Americans. By using his own life and experiences to influence his writing, Langston Hughes shed light on the experiences and feelings that shaped African Americans’ lives. Additionally, Hughes was the first African American writer to support himself. Finally, Zora Neale Hurston encouraged African Americans to take opportunities, be hopeful, be themselves, and not worry about their race. W.E.B. Du Bois says in his book The Souls of Black Folk, “One ever feels his two-ness - an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder”, and in this statement Du Bois reveals African Americans’ struggle to not become torn in two, as well as the conflict and division African Americans who experienced double consciousness faced within themselves during the Harlem Renaissance.