Playing the Role and Picking the Fights

In chapter 2, Wright is exposed through church that Jews killed Jesus and that they are evil. This concept is furthered while he lives with his religious grandmother; she enforces her prejudices and teachings on him. Eventually it is socially engrained into Wright’s head that Jews are bad people through the people the hangs out and by repeating the rhymes the other black kids shout at Jewish people. We “began to play our traditional racial roles as though we had been born to them, as though it was in our blood, as though we were being guided by instinct” (Wright, p.84). He is learning the behaviors [about hating Jews] through the way people interact with each other. Wright says it is his “cultural heritage” to hate Jews and plays into the racial role. He is doing what is expected of a black boy and is picking the fights.