What's in a Name "George"

1-19-2005
Composition 1
Steve K

Response to “What’s in a Name?” journal entry


Henry Gates was a wisp of a child, but even at a tender age he was aware that his family enjoyed an unusually privileged position in the community. He states “people in Piedmont, West Virginia, treated my parents with an odd mixture of resentment and respect.” This demonstrates a rudimentary grasp of how life flowed around Henry’s family, and as such, I feel he would be able to grasp a simple exploration of the dynamics concerning the social status they enjoyed in the community. My experience has shown small children are very intuitive and can grasp concepts quickly if presented in a simple and straightforward manner. The problem occurs when children are left to their own devices to comprehend and explain the world around them. Errors in assessment of the situation are easily made, as young children can’t yet properly interpret the subtle nuances in behavior.

Henry’s confusion as to why Mr. Wilson used an unexpected greeting in addressing his father is understandable due to the mixed signals he received from the community at large. Respect and begrudging acceptance was the norm from most of the town folk, as evidenced by the privileges afforded his father at the Drug Store Diner. He also recognized that his family enjoyed financial security from his hard work which provided the family with food on the table and new clothes on their back. This was offset by Mr. Wilson’s consistent acknowledgement of his father, but using the slang term for colored men “George”, instead of his given name. To a small boy this would seem to make no sense, as he would expect that a friendly greeting would properly address his father. The boy was at a loss to understand the biting edge to Mr. Wilson’s interaction with Henry’s father. In my opinion this is one of a parent’s primary duties: to school their children to understand the world around them and then help them find a way to understand and embrace it. Dealing with the confusion in a direct, but simplistic manner would have given Henry an introduction to the concept of prejudice, thus allowing him to effectively process the feelings aroused when prejudice occurred in the future.

Fear has a powerful unspoken presence in this short story. Mr. Wilson may have felt fear that Mr. Gates Sr. was encroaching on his world and was envious of his success in overcoming the obstacles placed in his path. This fear could easily manifest itself by Mr. Wilson’s salutation as a means to dehumanize and degrade Henry’s father. This way, Mr. Wilson didn’t have to confront the anger or resentment he held against “coloreds” in general. Henry’s parents most likely had an intense fear being labeled as “uppity” if they caused waves in the community by objecting to the generic labeling of Mr. Gates senior, as “George.” They thought that accepting things as they were and making the best of it, rather than calling attention to themselves and upsetting the status quo was the best course.

The mid-1950’s was at the beginning the civil rights movement in the South; therefore a physical danger was an ever present threat and not to be lightly taken. The willingness to accept prejudicial actions as “one of those things” is a common thread that runs through all our lives even today. How often have you objected when confronted with a slight injustice, such as improper use of a handicapped parking zone or someone taking a full cart of merchandise to the “10 items or less aisle” cash register? Those situations pale in comparison to the choices that had to be made by Henry’s family, since their very livelihood and well being hung in the balance.