The Sellout by Paul Beatty incorporates both humor
and “other stuff,” as Beatty says, that narrate the life of a troubled black
man living in California. From the beginning of the novel it is clear that the
narrator has a poor life at home, literally, and an odd relationship with his
father. Later, his father is killed and the narrator is left with nothing. Then
things in his home town take a turn and segregation is reestablished in the town’s
high school. Throughout the novel issues of race and class reappear
continuously; however, they are filtered by comedy in attempt to relieve the
reader of Beatty’s ironically true statements.
Beatty
sets the tone for the rest of the novel by stating in the opening lines that, “This
may be hard to believe, coming from a black man, but I’ve never stolen
anything. Never cheated on my taxes or at cards” (Beatty 3). Although I find
myself laughing at this first line, I feel like I should not because it has a
point. Beatty chose this way to preface his story because there is a stereotype
that black men steal, cheat and lie. This is the “other stuff” that the author
wants the reader to think about. Although there is humor in this quote, it sets
the stage for all of the other ironic stereotypes to follow. Later, when the
narrator wants to segregate the school by color he observes that, “Here in
America, ‘integration’ can be a cover-up. ‘I’m not a racist. My prom date,
second cousin, my president is black’” (Beatty 167). Again I find this funny because
I have heard people say this, but then I realize how it is not funny because I
have heard people say this. This is another example of the author using comedy
intertwined with a real message. In America people are quick to jump on the “integration”
bandwagon by saying that they too interact with people of another race. Whether
this makes that individual less racist or not is something the author may want
the reader to ponder.
Overall, The
Sellout is filled with statements about race and class that are ironically
funny. This use of comic relief in an otherwise uncomfortable story, draws
attention to the “other stuff” that the author wants the reader to think about.
This comedy keeps the reader entertained while also making them stop and think
about what the words on the page are actually saying.
I understand what you are saying. Beatty uses comic relief in The Sellout is used to keep the reader, while bringing up racial issues that, without humor, may have been ignored. Humor allows him to address the violence and racial inequalities. One of the most iconic points of this in the novel, is when the narrator is trying to get a sister city. Although Juárez, Chernobyl, and Kinshasa are all matches for Dickens, all three refuse. “Juárez feels that Dickens is too violent, Chernobyl… felt that… Dicken’s proximity to the Los Angeles River and sewage treatment plants was a problem…Kinshasa…think(s) Dickens is too black” (146-147). The irony that an American city is too violent, polluted, and backward to be partnered with makes the reader address how they see a predominantly black and Hispanic community. Many predominantly African-American cities are stereotyped by other Americans as being too violent and backwards. By “hearing” that other countries perceive us this way, it makes the reader question how we perceive race in the United States. Our perceptions of race are challenged through humor, making us reconsider them. We might believe that a minority populated city is violent, but by comparing them to three of the worst cities in the globe makes us reconsider how badly we perceive race in the United States. Beatty uses humor as comic relief in The Sellout to allow him to address racism and perceptions of race.
ReplyDelete