Conflict in The Wife of His Youth - 2103 Words

Conflict in The Wife of His Youth According to Ann Charters in The Short Story and its Writer, conflict is the opposition presented to the main Character of a narrative by another character, by events or situations, by fate, or by some aspect of the protagonists own personality or nature. The conflict is introduced by means of a complication that sets in motion the rising action, usually toward a climax and eventual resolution (Charters 1782). In the story by Charles W. Chesnutt, The Wife of His Youth, there are many different types of conflict. There is internal conflict amongst the characters, internal conflict, and conflict with society. The conflicts that Chesnutt raises in this story are not easy to relate to for†¦show more content†¦Liza Jane is nothing like Mrs. Molly Dixon who he was set to marry. Mrs. Molly Dixon was even lighter than Ryder and would advance his standing in Groveland and among the Blue Veins. Marrying Dixon would get him so much closer to bei ng fully accepted into the white race. Liza Jane would bring down his stature a great deal in that it would prove that he was not born a free black and that he also wasnt well educated. The conflict of telling Liza Jane doesnt just end at what he would appear to be in public though. He has to live with the idea that he left his former wife, who he was very much in love, to wander looking for him. If he doesnt tell her that he was the man she was looking for he would just continue living a huge lie that would constantly be in the back of his head. If it wasnt for the Blue Veins, the decision to reunite with his wife would not be so difficult. There would be no judgment on how dark she was or whether she was born free or a slave. The reader is given no clue as to how Ryder will solve his dilemma and the story moves on to the ball which was meant to celebrate his engagement to Dixon. Near the end of the party he begins to tell the story that Liza Jane told him. He tells the cr owd about the woman who for twenty five years had been looking for her husband. He talked about her devotion and love for a man she hadnt seen in a very long time. He told the story in the dialect of Liza Jane an uneducated black. This was notShow MoreRelatedIs There Racism Within a Race? (Reaction to Wife of His Youth)623 Words   |  3 PagesSometimes race can occur because of people’s views on things, such as religion, age, or even gender. In â€Å"The Wife of His Youth† racism and some forms of discrimination are present in the story, but surprisingly it isn’t one race against another. It is black on black racism, or more specifically the mulattos, having light skinned complexion, and the darker skinned blacks. 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