Similar to Irene in “Passing,” Emma Lou in “The Blacker the Berry” is an unreliable narrator because of her bias and view points toward certain people and situations.
For example, Alva clearly does not have very strong feelings for Emma Lou, is relatively lazy in his decision to not work summers because “it was far too hot” (Thurman, 105), and freeloads off of Emma Lou because she is blinded by love and willing to give him money. But Emma Lou excuses his lax and lazy personality by agreeing that “there was no sense in working in the summer” (Thurman, 106).
However, when she talks about Alva’s roommate Braxton, she views him as a lazy and conceited person, even though Alva is very similar in his action in terms of his lack of work and using other women for monetary benefits.
Moreover, Emma Lou can be viewed as an unreliable narrator due to the way that she views all of the people that Alva introduces her to. It becomes clear that she is paranoid that everyone is out to “make fun of” (Thurman, 116) her and make her feel bad. However, all Alva’s friends did was discuss the problems of intra racial discrimination in a lighthearted manner.
