Samantha Belanger

SWC 100 Paper #2

Matt Kelley
July 24, 2009

The oxymoron of simplicity

Some of the greatest things in life are pretty ugly; an oxymoron. When Langston Hughes

was writing The Best of Simple his intent while developing the character of Jesse B. Semple was

to use oxymorons. Jesse B. Semple is often referred to as Simple by the narrator in the book, but

this is ironic because he is a very complex person. The way Simple views white people in

“Simple Prays A Prayer” is contradicted in his story “A Toast To Harlem”. Hughes brings irony,

oxymorons, and contradictions in to play to show that what happened to African Americans in

the past still has an effect on how Simple thinks about white people.

Sympathy is felt towards Simple in the story “Feet Live Their Own Life”. Simple goes

into depth about how his feet represent what his life is all about. He states “These feet have

walked ten thousand miles for white folks and another ten thousand keeping up with colored.”

(Hughes 2). He is referencing his feet to what African Americans have been through from the

beginning of time. Even though he was not, Simple considers himself to be one of the black men

who was tortured by slavery and beaten by white people. To show this he says “He must have

been simple-else why did he let them capture him in Africa and sell him for a slave to breed my

great-grandpa in slavery to breed my grandpa in slavery to breed my pa to breed me to look at

that window and say, ‘It ain’t mine!’” (Hughes 3). It’s difficult to understand what he says,

because he contradicts himself, but makes sense in a way.

In one of the stories “Simple Prays A Prayer”, you start to get a feel for how Simple

thinks. “Lord, kindly please, take the blood off of my hands and off of my brother’s hands, and

make us shake hands clean and not be afraid.” (Hughes 7). This is a very powerful passage in

this book because Simple is describing in detail how he wishes life truly was. “It ain’t much, but
Samantha Belanger
SWC 100 Paper #2
Matt Kelley
July 24, 2009

that girlfriend of mine, Joyce, drug me to church last Sunday where the man was preaching and

praying about peace, so I don’t see why I shouldn’t make myself up a prayer, too. I figure God

will listen to me as well as the next one. This is showing that Simple wants everyone to get along

and he wants god to listen to him just like he listens to everyone else when they pray. Then, in

contrast, as Simple is discussing with the narrator about how he cannot get a job, the narrator

calls him selfish because Simple is says that he did not want the war to end because he would

still be making money. Simple replies “Selfish! You may think I am selfish when the fact is I am

just hongry if I didn’t have a job. It looks like in peace time nobody works as much or gets paid

as much as in a war. Is that clear?” (Hughes 8). Both if the quotations are in the same story yet

they completely contradict each other. First Simple asks for peace. Then he says he wants war so

that he can work. It is understandable that Simple wants a job but does he really need a war to

exist to find work? He could just go out and look for one instead of spending all of his time at the

bar.

As the book and Simple’s thoughts about racial issues get deep, some more contradictions

start to surface. In the story “Landladies”, it is clear that Simple faces some issues with being

stereotypical. The narrator states “Landladies are practically always landladies,” and Simple

comes back with “But in New York they are landladies plus!” (Hughes 4). Simple starts to get

more complex in the story when making this statement because he is going against what he said

from the beginning. He wants all people to be equal, yet he stereotypes along with the rest of

them. When people stereotype something it means that they are putting them into one category

instead of thinking of people as individuals. That is not equality. He wants everyone to shake

hands with each other and forget about the differences, but how can that happen when there is

constant grief with one another. How does Simple know that all landladies in New York put up
Samantha Belanger
SWC 100 Paper #2
Matt Kelley
July 24, 2009

signs for their tenants that give them step by step directions on how to live their lives? Also, how

can he assume that all landladies in New York do not turn on the heat for their tenants? He does

not know either of those things just like he does not know about all white people before he even

meets them. All white people do not support what happened to black people, and not all white

people participated in the actions set against black people. The saying “Don’t judge a book by its

cover” really goes well with this interpretation. This is where the sympathy factor for Simple in

this part of the book goes down, because he makes himself seem like he knows what he is talking

about when the fact is that he cannot relate anything he says.

Simple gets into more detail about his fear of white people in the story “A Toast To

Harlem”. While talking with the narrator, he makes the claim that Harlem belongs to him. He

feels protected by Harlem and its people. This story steps up the level of hatred you can feel out

of Simple’s words towards white people. “The white race drug me over here from Africa, slaved

me, freed me, lynched me, starved me during the depression, Jim Crowed me during the war-

then they come talking about they is scared of me! Which is why I am glad I have got one spot to

call my own where I hold sway-Harlem. Harlem, where I can thumb my nose at the world!”

(Hughes 22). He goes on to say that white people are scared of him, and he is scared of them as

well. All white people are not scared of black people. Simple is making examples that are

relevant to the point he is trying to prove, but they are not realistic situations one would find

them self in.

In conclusion, there is a big contrast between the stories “Simple Pray A Prayer” and A

Toast to Harlem”. In “Simple Prays A Prayer” a lot of sympathy is expressed towards Simple, it

seems like he is lost and all he wants is a way out of being placed in a stereotype such as ‘the

black person’. He does not have a job and is living off of his girlfriend, which lowers the level of
Samantha Belanger
SWC 100 Paper #2
Matt Kelley
July 24, 2009

pride a man has for himself if he has to be supported by a woman, instead of being the supporter.

As the stories go on though, less sympathy is felt towards him because you can see that he is just

being selfish. He wants a break for himself instead of actually trying to get out there and find

something on his own. Simple would rather spend his time at the bar then go out and look for a

job. You can also see that he is in fact asking for war in this world. “You’re talking about what

ought to be. But as long as what is is-and Georgia is Georgia-I will take Harlem for mine. At

least if trouble comes, I will have my own window to shoot from.” (Hughes 23).