Post #859

"GOOPHERED" I just finished reading "The Goophered Grapevine" by Charles Chesnutt. At first, it was a struggle. Understanding the dialect was like reading alien English. I had to read words three times just to hear the sound. But truth unveils—the language is the "mask." Uncle Julius is the main character. He plays the role of an old, uneducated, harmless man. But that is exactly the disguise he wears throughout the story. He’s not just a storyteller; he’s a strategist. He uses white people's preconceived notions about "superstition" against them. He performs the role of the "poor old man" to hide his true motive: protecting his income. He had been making a living off those grapes for years. By "masking" his business interest as a spooky legend, he tries to manipulate the narrator into leaving the vineyard alone. The narrator, who was looking for land for his wife, didn't listen. He saw the story as a "flop joke" and bought the place anyway. You might think the narrator gets the last laugh because he "dealt the cards." But the story ends well for Julius too. The narrator hires him as a coachman. The "mask" allowed Julius to thrive in a system designed to work against him. It’s like a game of Uno. Julius tried to play the "Uno Reverse" card to keep his vineyard. Even though the narrator bought the land, Julius still walked away with a job and a house. Don't judge a book by its cover, and don't judge a storyteller by his "goofy" talk. Stay true to yourself and stay hard!