"Mulatto" by Langston Huges
...Tom Norman. As Higgins, Tom Norman’s friend says, “I know we all have ‘em-I didn’t know you could make use of a white girl till I was past twenty” (1615). Even, after the death of his wife, Norman stays single and has a relationship with Cora. He still regards her as his property. In a conversation about black women Norman says, “You know I got some nice black women in this yard” (1616). The children born of a black and white people are called mulatto. Mostly these children are regarded as black by the whites, who expect them to follow the rules set for black people. The black women are scared to say who their children’s father is. When Tom and Cora’s grandson Billy, refers to his grandfather as a white man, Cora says, “Shs-ss-s! You Billy hush yo’ mouth! Chile, where you hear that?” (1617). A mulatto is regarded as bastards, which Bert a child of Tom Norman refuses to accept. He sees himself as having a white blood in him therefore deserving better treatment. Though Cora bore Tom Norman’s children, she was scared to displease him as is indicated in her advice to Robert says, “Agree to whatever he say, I’s scared fo’ you, chile, de way you bee actin’, and de fool tricks you done today, … - and fo’ all de po’ colored folks on this place” (1623). Robert was the outspoken child among Cora’s children. He felt that, since Norman was his father, there was no point in demeaning himself. He challenged Norman when he replied to Norman: “But I’m not a nigger, Colonel Tom. I’m your son” (1624). Tom Norman has some kind of affection for some of his African American servants, like Cora, but he has an especially complex relationship with Robert. Robert was once Norman’s favorite boy, as Cora says, “favorite little colored chile round here” (1629). However when Robert calls him papa in front of a group of white visitors, he beats him up and never liked him. This set up a hate between the two, as Cora says, “he growed up with de beatin’ in his heart and your eyes in his head, and your ways, and your pride” (1630). Robert refuses to accept his role, and it creates confusion not only for Cora and Tom Norman but among the whites in the neighbor...