Flying Home

“I don’t need the papers to tell me you had the intelligence to fly. And I have always known you to be as brave as anyone else. The papers annoy me. Don’t you be contented to prove over and over again that you’re brave or skillful just because you’re black, Todd.”

“Flying Home” focuses on stereotypes of African Americans in post-slavery America. Jefferson and Teddy, for example, fit this stereotype: uneducated and poor, with limited opportunities for upward mobility. Despite his girlfriend’s protests, Todd feels obligated to prove himself as equal to his white counterparts.

“He swayed, giddily. Blackness washed over him, like infinity.”

This quotation references the first time Todd meets Jefferson and Teddy, immediately after injuring himself. It is an example of an author using a word to convey multiple meanings. Blackness, in this case, refers to the overwhelming, almost surreal pain of Todd’s broken ankle, like a blackout. It also could represent the dread and hopelessness that Todd feels when he fully comprehends his predicament. Another possibility is that “Blackness” has a positive connotation. Because Todd and the other two characters in this scene are Black men, the Blackness washing over Todd is a feeling of belonging and welcome. This would explain the “giddy” swaying in the prior sentence. The sentence is also a simile, comparing Blackness to infinity. Todd’s struggles as a Black American may seem infinite or endless, with little resolution in sight.