Emma Lou constantly misunderstands the situations and people around her. Of course, she is hardly alone in this. The Blacker the Berry is chalk full of people who don’t understand each other; in fact, it is not clear that anyone ever really does. However, some are worse at it then others, and Emma Lou certainly belongs to the former category, at least until the final few pages of the book.
To me, the most interesting instances of Emma Lou’s lack of understanding regard her love life. She has no understanding of Weldon’s reasons for being with her, and she misinterprets the cause of his departure. Of course, she cannot entirely be blamed for this, as he keeps his motives from her, and tells her only what she wants to hear. However, her assumption that he feels comfortable leaving her because of her color is problematic. It puts the blame on her skin, something she cannot help. Her assumption that she has been discriminated against is not such an issue in this case. It may, in fact, be more comforting then the truth, that she is only one of a string of lovers. However, in other cases, her race consciousness is more serious.
Much later in the book, Emma Lou’s assumption that any color is better then her black skin leads her to use gimmicky products which have a mostly negative affect on her, making her look “Purple.” In her phase as a teacher, she feels isolated by the rest of the staff, and assumes this is because of her skin. However, the reader learns that it is really because she keeps to herself, and doesn’t try to get to know them, and because her “Lightening Products” make her look eccentric and intimidating. Her feelings cause her to isolate herself even more, leading her colleagues to avoid an apparently fragile person. They are to blame for not approaching her personally, but she also interprets their note as a sarcastic joke about her color, and she isolates herself even more. Thus, her lack of understanding increases her self isolation, and when the other teachers respond by avoiding her, she assumes the problem is her skin color, which, again, she cannot change.
