" YOUR HEART IS TALKING, ARE YOU LISTENING? "
On a personal level, the hardships suffered during the great depression affected the attitudes of many Americans toward life, work and community. Black people who survived the depression faced a hard life, and their labor and skills were exploited. The relationship between white and black were tinged by racism and prejudice that has judged and condemned black people for expressing their true selves. Consequently, black and white people in the twentieth century, particularly after the 1930s, were involved in a dynamic relationship in which struggle changed people and institutions, breaking down as well as building up the barriers of racism. In his story, “On the Road” Langston Hughes uses snow symbolically to describe the characters and their relationships to each other. This pattern of images suggests that Hughes saw racism and discrimination at every level during the depression years. Hughes saw how this racism and discrimination oppressed the black community in American society.
The very first line of the story begins with the white cold snow, “He was not interested in the snow.” (line 1) Hughes mention of the cold snow portrays his views of the white society, and he uses snow not only to demonstrate a distinct relationship amongst blacks and whites, but also to show racial discrimination during the Great Depression. Hughes observes the black man as “a human piece of night.” (line 9) In the story, Sargeant is the main character. He is a poor black man who does not have any money nor any place to stay.( Line 10 )tells us that Sargeant is “obviously unemployed.” Hughes uses of snow as a symbol of the tyrannical, and dominant white society that makes Sergeant’s misery worse, although he is unconscious of this situation. “Sargeant never even noticed the snow.” (line 2) However, whether he is aware of it or not, the snow makes him very hungry and cold. Hughes observes that he “shook the snow from his coat sleeves, felt hungry, felt lost, felt not lost, felt cold.” (lines 32- 33) Consequently, the black man lacks energy and feels very tired according to Hughes’ description that “Sargeant was tired, sweating and tired.” (lines 95-96)
Sometimes when people live in an oppressive society, they are not able to see who the oppressor is. It is clear that when people suffer oppression they merely try to resist and just survive the situation. As they are trying to survive they are not always aware or are focusing on something else, namely survival. In “On the Road” Hughes’s main character Sargeant experiences this situation as we can see from Hughes’ observation: “But if you had asked him, he wouldn’t have known it was snowing. Sargeant didn’t see the snow, not even under the bright lights of the main street, falling white and flaky against the night.” (lines 3-5) The snow represents the cold-blooded treatment of white people over black people which is responsible for much conflict during the past in American society. Hughes’ use of snow gives us a perfect example of the relationship among the white and black people, and the racism that the black community was going through.
After a series of rejections for a place to stay, “he had already been to the Relief Shelter, been to hundreds of relief shelters during the depression years,” (line 16) Sargeant finds himself at the front door of the church and for the first time in the story he sees the snow. (line 31) This suggests that Sargeant believes the church will help him. Nevertheless, before he can get in two white cops pulls him away. (line 50)
In short, “On the Road,” By Langston Hughes, was written in time of racism and hostility toward any person of color by any one who is white and cold like the snow, including the minister of the church, the police and government workers. Black people in this time had no opportunities and their safety was at risk every moment. Through this short story Hughes wanted the reader to clearly understand that there was separation between the white people and the black.
