Finding Langston

At age 11, Langston is big and strong, like his father. He resists the comparison, however, thinking, “‘Handsome just like his daddy,’ folks been saying since the day I was born, but I never took a liking to the work Daddy did in the fields. Or chopping firewood or toting heavy bundles” (25). Because he is a boy, and a sturdy one at that, people assume Langston is well-suited to strenuous outdoor work like farm labor. Henry also expects Langston to favor rigorous activities, but he is a sensitive, contemplative individual who prefers quietly reading. Langston’s mother recognized and accepted who he is, despite appearances, and allowed him to be himself. Following her death, Langston makes efforts to conceal his feelings from his father, who disapproves of Langston’s enthusiasm for reading and also encourages stoicism and the silent forbearance of suffering. At school, Langston finds himself equally misunderstood. His classmates point at his “run-over shoes” (8) and overalls and call him “country boy,” implying he is coarse and unsophisticated.

While Langston struggles with the tension between his inner and outer selves, he gradually recognizes that people are never entirely who they seem to be on the outside.