living in the south

Eli Pardue
3/4/07
AP Lang Comp
LaMags

What does Griggs mean by ‘learn how to live in the south’?

Throughout his childhood, Richard established a mindset that he would not let others tell him what was right or wrong, and he would not let others boss him around or treat him unfairly based on his race. This is clearly portrayed by his hostility towards getting punished by his mother, grandmother, Aunt Addie, and Uncle Tom. Also, and more pertaining to the particular question, it is shown in Richard’s naivety towards the social status of white people when he was young.
When Griggs says that Richards needs to “learn how to live in the South,” he means that Richard needs to through out all of the moral and ethical rules that he has set up in his own head and play along with the demands of society. In other words, he needs to recognize that, in the South, white people are superior to blacks, and he needs to act accordingly. Richard’s contempt at the ludicrous societal standards of his childhood explains why he was unable to hold a job over the summer.
The last part of learning how to live in the South is shown at the end of the chapter. Through Griggs, Richard obtains a job with a Yankee stenographer, Mr. Crane. Richard was treated fairly by the Northern man, and he also acted “appropriately” as a black man working for white men. However, Richard was still subjected to the cruelty and hate of the southern white man by one of the men who worked for Crane. Richard did not give him a formal title when addressing him once, and was punished by being scared out of his job. The last par of learning how to live in the south is taking the white man’s hate in stride.