02969cam a22003733u 450000100060000000300070000600500170001300600020003000700050003200800410003704000110007804100170008905000070010610000560011324500830016926400510025230000470030333600260035033700260037633800360040250000310043850503270046950801140079652014080091053400450231865300330236365300300239665300220242665300370244865300200248565300300250585600430253599900170257811057UtSlPG20260610133250.0mcr n260607r2004||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d  aUtSlPG 7aen2iso639-1 4aPS1 aChesnutt, Charles W.q(Charles Waddell),d1858-193214aThe Wife of his Youth and Other Stories of the Color Line, and Selected Essays 1aSalt Lake City, UT :bProject Gutenberg,c2004  a1 online resource :bmultiple file formats  atextbtxt2rdacontent  acomputerbc2rdamedia  aonline resourcebcr2rdacarrier  aRelease date is 2004-02-010 aThe wife of his youth -- Her Virginia mammy -- The sheriff's children -- A matter of principle -- Cicely's dream -- The passing of Grandison -- Uncle Wellington's wives -- The bouquet -- The web of circumstance -- Three essays on the color line: What is a white man? The future American. The disfranchisement of the Negro.  aE-text prepared by Suzanne Shell, Andrea Ball, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team  a"The Wife of His Youth and Other Stories of the Color Line, and Selected Essays" by Charles W. Chesnutt is a collection of short stories and essays written during the late 19th century, highlighting the complex issues of race, identity, and social class in post-Civil War America. The narratives often feature characters from the African-American community navigating the challenges posed by societal color lines, including the prejudices prevalent among their own ranks. Through these stories, Chesnutt explores themes of belonging, love, and the struggle for dignity and acceptance.  The opening of the book introduces Mr. Ryder, a prominent member of the Blue Vein Society, a group of light-skinned African-Americans who aspire to elevate their social standing while grappling with the implications of their racial identity. As he prepares to host a ball in honor of Mrs. Molly Dixon—whom he admires—an unexpected encounter with an elderly black woman named 'Liza Jane brings to the surface deeper questions of loyalty and belonging. Her story of searching for her long-lost husband, who escaped slavery, contrasts sharply with Mr. Ryder's aspirations and invites reflections on past relationships and societal expectations. This initial segment sets the tone for Chesnutt's poignant exploration of race and the personal conflicts that arise from it. (This is an automatically generated summary.)  nOriginal publication data not identified  aAfrican Americans -- Fiction  aRace relations -- Fiction  aRacism -- Fiction  aRacially mixed people -- Fiction  aAmerican essays  aRace awareness -- Fiction40uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11057  c52504d52504