Wallace Thurman’s novel The Blacker the Berry deals with complex opinions regarding skin color and self worth. The protagonist Emma Lou constantly wishes that she wasn’t so dark-skinned, and she sees the misfortunes in her life as a result of her skin color. While it is troubling to read about Emma Lou’s self deprecation, her reasoning is understandable: she has grown up in a family and society that looks down upon her race, especially on dark-skinned women, and she finds no solace even when she leaves her hometown for a more diverse college setting. Emma Lou’s self consciousness about her skin color affects aspects of her social and romantic life, which leads to her unhealthy relationship with Alva.
The third chapter of The Blacker the Berry is a notable shift from the rest of the novel, as it introduces Alva, and is told from his point of view. Emma Lou’s relationship with Alva ends up taking over her life. She becomes attached to him because he is kind to her, and this newfound attention along with her negative views about her skin color bind her to this illusion. Emma Lou has constantly been taught that only light-skinned women are found to be more attractive and suitable to marry, so she somehow cannot let go of Alva despite his obvious manipulation and deceit. Alva is the source of many of Emma Lou’s bad decisions, but he ultimately leads to her realization at the end of the novel as she gradually becomes more comfortable in her own skin.
