The use of Masks in Charles Chesnutt’s “The Wife of His Youth”
In “The Wife of His Youth,” a short story in Tales of Conjure and the Color Line, Charles Chesnutt develops the character of Liza Jane to explore the various masks that have often been worn by both w\omen and people of color. Chestnutt’s exploration of masks is not singular to this story but prevails throughout his other works, aiding in his creation of two character archetypes, Uncle Julius and Annie. These two individuals from “Po’ Sandy,” another short story, demonstrate a consistent use of masks in Chesnutt’s characters. The narrator of “Po’ Sandy” imagines both of these characters as unintelligent, which allows them to wear his underestimation as a mask and use his assumption that they are ignorant to their advantage by operating under the guise of stupidity while their real emotional intelligence is never recognized by him. Liza Jane’s character is reminiscent of Uncle Julius’s through her days as a slave, her darker skin tone, and her obvious lack of education. Additionally, she is reminiscent of Annie through her intelligent feminine nature and the deep emotional attachments to the things they love, leading the reader to conclude that, similar to Uncle Julius and Annie, Liza Jane wears a mask. At the end of the story, many readers find themselves grappling with whether Mr. Ryder would choose to reenter his marriage to Liza Jane. However, what many often fail to acknowledge is that this decision does not solely lie within the hands of Mr. Ryder; instead, entering into a marriage must be a mutual decision between both Mr. Ryder and Liza Jane. Through the understanding of Chesnutt’s traditional character archetype and the mask, Liza Jane's answer becomes obvious: without her mask, she will find herself to be too emotionally intelligent for this marriage and will no longer be interested in the husband of her youth.
“Po Sandy” offers the best example of how Chesnutt develops his characters to use traditional stereotypes as masks within his short stories. John, the white man, imagines Uncle Julius, a black coachman, as uneducated and eccentric and whose “stories are quaintly humorous; others are wildly extravagant, revealing the Oriental cast of the negro's imagination" (13). This passage reveals how the white man interprets Uncle Julius. To them he is comedic relief: “quaintly humorous” and exotic in his storytelling, having an “oriental cast.” Referring to “the negro’s imagination,” John imagines that all black individuals share a collective consciousness; thus, readers see that this passage reveals his perception of Uncle Julius, but also his perception of all black individuals. Additionally, Uncle Julius' dialect speech often discredits his intelligence, making him seem uneducated. During his introduction of Uncle Julius’s story, John at first sympathizes with him, thinking, “The pathetic intonation with which he lengthened out the ‘po’ Sandy’ touched a responsive chord in our own hearts” (13). The use of the word “pathetic” in his thought communicates to the reader that John views Uncle Julius as vulnerable, a moment that paints John’s sympathy with condescension. Uncle Julius’s awareness of the white man’s perception of him becomes the building block in which he develops his mask while leaning into the stereotypes. He uses his lack of education and unconventional storytelling to manipulate the outcome of the old schoolhouse. The forethought required to conduct this elaborate plan speaks to a different type of intellect, despite his lack of formal education. His savvy way of thinking and immense emotional intelligence are Uncle Julius’s realities; however, Chestnutt has developed his character to wear the mask in front of the white man, allowing the reader to see that he is aware of John’s perception of him and embodies the underestimation to serve his own desires.
Like Uncle Julius, Annie, John's wife in "Po' Sandy," also wears a mask of unintelligence to further her goals. Early on in the story, John frequently refers to his wife in a patronizing tone, often mollifying her feminine woes while suggesting her desires are indulgent and silly. His condescension makes a debut early on: “For some occult reason, my wife wanted a kitchen in the backyard... Of course I had to build it” (12). This passage reveals how John and Annie's marriage operates, demonstrating John as a character who does not value what Annie values and looks down on her desires as “occult” or ridiculous. Additionally, later on in the story, John regards her compassion with a similar tone of condescension: “poured freely into the sympathetic ear of a Northern-bred woman” (13). John communicates his immunity to the emotional pull of Uncle Julius’s stories, and in return, he judges his wife for her sympathy. John seems to imagine that Annie's more feminine attributes, such as her empathy and desires for things like a secondary kitchen, are what make her inferior. The narrator discerns that, like Uncle Julius, Annie recognizes John's judgment and turns it to her advantage. At the end of the story, the reader bears witness to the power of Annie’s mask when she uses John’s perception of her to manipulate him into giving the old schoolhouse away, further showcasing her profound emotional intelligence. In many ways, Chesnutt seems to have a consistent theme within his marginalized characters, frequently writing them as individuals who have learned to maneuver their way around in society to fool the white man.
Liza Jane’s character operates in a similar manner, and much like those who came before her, Chesnutt imagines her character with a mask on, presenting herself to the world in one manner, while her reality speaks a different narrative. Liza’s mask is modeled on both Uncle Julius and Annie, as she embodies both story stereotypes: considering she is darker-skinned, a woman, and does not have formal education, allowing for the narrator to also imagine her as unintelligent and easily deceived. Though Liza Jane does wear a mask, hers is more subtle, only truly revealing itself after the careful reader compares common patterns in Chestnutt’s works. Only then will one see how Mr. Ryder is entirely taken in by her mask. In the beginning of “The Wife of His Youth,” the narrator describes Mr. Ryder's involvement in a society that praises the ability to see one's blue veins; in other words, this society attempts to model itself after white society and, in doing so, discriminates against black individuals with darker skin. Mr. Ryder's battle with colorism becomes a consistent theme throughout the story, making his internal thoughts during his first encounter with Liza ones that are immediately marked by her complexion: “She was very black—so black that her toothless gums, revealed when she opened her mouth to speak, were not red, but blue. She looked like a bit of the old plantation life” (51). His connection of her blackness to plantation life is stereotypical, demonstrating his battle with colorism in full, and ultimately shapes Mr. Ryder’s perception of her. Additionally, Liza Jane uses a strong dialect when speaking, allowing for the reader to conclude that due to Mr. Ryder’s prejudices, he will absorb this fact and deem her as unintelligent.
Liza Jane also embodies the feminine nature of Annie, and to fully understand her mask, one must first uncover how Mr. Ryder’s perception of her allows her to hide behind it. Liza Jane’s character is faithful to her husband, a fact demonstrated through her tireless journey to locate him after he is forced to flee to escape being sold into slavery. When reliving the memories of her past, she explains her dedication to her husband, expressing she has been looking for him since the day he fled: “‘I’s be’n lookin’ fer’ ‘im eber sense,’ she added simply, as though twenty-five years were but a couple of weeks” (52). This passage displays her fierce loyalty; however, Mr. Ryder does not reveal himself to be the lost husband at this moment. He has just listened to a long tale that told of her hardship and devotion, and yet he is still not moved enough to divulge his true identity, ultimately leading the reader to conclude that, much like John from “Po’ Sandy,” Mr. Ryder holds an emotional facade when speaking to Liza and truthfully deems emotional sentiments to be less important than prestige, intellect, and social status. Additionally, Mr. Ryder notes that Liza Jane looks aged, acknowledging her physical appearance as “seem[ing] quite old.” Yet, since she was once his wife, the reader can conclude they are similar in age, making his statements appear patronizing in nature and pitying towards her life rather than respectful of how far she has come. Much like Annie, Liza Jane is boxed in by the men in her life; Mr. Ryder never imagined that she would find him. When she does, he does not deem her plea as worthy of being acknowledged immediately. The men in Chesnutt’s stories often imagine women as existing to satisfy them, never imagining them as more. Mr. Ryder views Liza Jane’s character as two-dimensional; he is unable to recognize how she might be more than his perception of her, and this is her mask. She, much like Annie and Uncle Julius, is aware of her mask, and therefore, like Chesnutt’s other characters, the reader concludes that she also possesses immense emotional intelligence, a clever mind, and a strong sense of loyalty.
Liza Jane’s reality, however, speaks a story that opposes how she is perceived. Her intelligence shines when she explains how she made a living by “cookin’ suh. I’s a good cook” (52) and used this money to travel in search of him. Liza Jane's perseverance and loyalty speak to an emotional intelligence that Mr. Ryder cannot comprehend. When revisiting the section where she reveals her lifetime dedication, the reader sees Mr. Ryder as shocked by her confession that she searched for him for twenty-five years: “‘I’s be’n lookin’ fer’ ‘im eber sense,’ she added simply, as though twenty-five years were but a couple of weeks” (52). Additionally, the reader witnesses how Liza Jane has imagined Mr. Ryder as being equally loyal: “Wouldn’ make no diff’ence wid Sam. He wouldn’ marry no yuther ‘oman ‘tel he foun’ out ‘bout me” (53), a reality that does not hold true once she finds him.
Ultimately, Liza Jane’s sense of self-discipline informs her reality and allows for the reader to determine that though she lacks formal education, she is intimately aware of her own loyalty, perseverance, and honesty, which speak to a different form of brilliance. Her story suggests that she is capable of independence, and though she believed she still loved Sam, Mr. Ryder is not the same man; therefore, she will not be afraid to deny him and continue on her own. Additionally, the reader can conclude that Liza Jane will view his grand display to be embarrassing, due to him acknowledging his desires for another woman when he explains, “Suppose that perhaps he had set his heart upon another, whom he had hoped to call his own” (56), while also describing Liza Jane as “the wife he had left behind him, not one who had walked by his side and kept pace with him in his upward struggle” (55), effectively reducing her own struggle while also betraying the marriage covenant she had centered her life around. These realizations will be the guide behind Liza Jane’s removal of her mask when she does the unexpected and both denies Mr. Ryder’s hope of acknowledging her and gives him the dressing-down he deserves.
Chesnut’s marginalized characters frequently hide behind stereotypes, forcing them to be individuals who fall victim to stereotypical notions that deem them inferior and unintelligent. However, Chesnutt imagines another side of these characters and writes them as multifaceted. Due to these patterns in Chesnutt’s short stories, a careful reader considers the possibility that a similar thing has been done to Liza Jane. Rather than imagining her as a passive character who allows Mr. Ryder to make her decisions, the reader should consider her as an active individual who would reject a man who did not honor her or their marriage. The exploration of the mask that Chesnutt’s characters wear allows for his stories to enter into a larger conversation surrounding colorism and sexism, ultimately praising the marginalized by giving them power through their self-awareness and emotional superiority.
Works Cited
Chesnutt, Charles Waddell. Po' Sandy. University of Virginia Library, 1996.
Chesnutt, Charles Waddell. Wife of His Youth. University of Virginia Library, 1899.
Chesnutt, Charles Waddell, and Joan R. Sherman. Tales of conjure and the color line: 10 stories. Courier Corporation, 1998.
