Post by elTussin on Apr 16, 2007 20:57:19 GMT -5
Characters
The Hoffman's- The Hoffmans are white, Jewish shopkeepers who hire Richard as a porter in their shop. They treat Richard in quite a different way then he was treated by his white bosses in the South. While in the South, Richard was treated as trash and inferior, in the North he is treated with kindness and acceptance. Richard, however, has been so used to rudeness and spite directed at him that he has suspicions of the Hoffman's. When he wants to have a day off to apply for a postal examination, he worries that the Hoffman's will think he does not want to work for them and fire him, as would happen in the South if he asked. To avoid any conflict, he simply leaves and lies later that he had to bury his mother. The Hoffman's do not believe him but they hold knowledge of why Richard was acting this way. They were not ignorant to the plight of the Negro in the South and they knew how Richard was treated at jobs, they knew Richard felt he couldn't trust them. They did not want to accept lies however, but after several lies, they gave in, simply acknowledging they knew he was not telling the truth. Richard was also amazed that they spent so much time talking to him this way. In the South, no white man would bother trying to gain the truth out of a black man. But the North was different, and the Hoffman's were willing to help Richard and gain a sense of trust between them; they are caring people.
Tillie- Tillie is a Finnish cook who works with Richard at the North Side Café. She was in no way hated by anyone, for her cooking skills were remarkable. She definitely had an expertise in efficiency and quality with her food. However, there was one flaw to Tillie's occupation and status at the café…she spat in the f
The Hoffman's- The Hoffmans are white, Jewish shopkeepers who hire Richard as a porter in their shop. They treat Richard in quite a different way then he was treated by his white bosses in the South. While in the South, Richard was treated as trash and inferior, in the North he is treated with kindness and acceptance. Richard, however, has been so used to rudeness and spite directed at him that he has suspicions of the Hoffman's. When he wants to have a day off to apply for a postal examination, he worries that the Hoffman's will think he does not want to work for them and fire him, as would happen in the South if he asked. To avoid any conflict, he simply leaves and lies later that he had to bury his mother. The Hoffman's do not believe him but they hold knowledge of why Richard was acting this way. They were not ignorant to the plight of the Negro in the South and they knew how Richard was treated at jobs, they knew Richard felt he couldn't trust them. They did not want to accept lies however, but after several lies, they gave in, simply acknowledging they knew he was not telling the truth. Richard was also amazed that they spent so much time talking to him this way. In the South, no white man would bother trying to gain the truth out of a black man. But the North was different, and the Hoffman's were willing to help Richard and gain a sense of trust between them; they are caring people.
Tillie- Tillie is a Finnish cook who works with Richard at the North Side Café. She was in no way hated by anyone, for her cooking skills were remarkable. She definitely had an expertise in efficiency and quality with her food. However, there was one flaw to Tillie's occupation and status at the café…she spat in the f