The Marrow of Tradition

The Marrow of Tradition is often used in research papers that explore race relations. Paper Masters will custom write a project on any aspect of the historical drama and from which ever perspective you need. The book has been a study in sociology, lauded as a major work of American Fiction and used as evidence in historical accounts of race relations. Let us help you explicate the reading of Chestnutt's famous book, The Marrow of Tradition, in a research project that is written just as you need it to be.

Some facts about the Marrow of Tradition are as follows:

• Published in 1901 as a Historical Drama
• Written by Charles W. Chesnutt
• The main themes of The Marrow of Tradition are:
  • Race Relations
  • Refuting the accounts of the "race riot" that took place in Wilmington
  • Class structure within the Wilmington area

Though written in 1901, The Marrow of Tradition by Charles W. Chesnutt remains a provocative and painful indicator of the depth of racial hatred and division. This reviewer almost chose the word "reminder" over "indicator" in the sentence above, but settled on the latter after reflection."Reminder" might be interpreted by some readers as referring only to events long past, and that would be misleading.The "racial divide" and its attendant pain are yet our grim reality. Reading this important book, one's thoughts are immediately drawn to the events of the interim one-hundred years since its writing.Though there have been some victories for minority groups - and, thus, for all humanity - during that time period, the problems associated with one group's insistence upon superiority over another are still an eyesore on the human landscape in a country where equality and freedom are words readily tossed about.Acknowledgment of the continuing struggle renders Chesnutt's title compelling and worthy of contemplation.

As the title page of The Marrow of Tradition suggests, the phrase evidently comes from this piece written by Charles Lamb to the editor of the Every-Day Book:

I like you and your book, ingenious Hone!

In whose capacious all-embracing leaves

The very marrow of tradition's shown.

But why did Chesnutt choose the phrase as representative of the tale he was weaving? Though certainly familiar with the word, this reviewer looked up the word "marrow" to confirm the definition and attempt to tie that definition to the major themes of the novel. Several definitions were offered by an online source. One indicated that marrow denotes "the inmost, best, or essential part - core". If one leaves out the word "best," then this definition might prove applicable to the analysis at hand to a certain degree.

Chesnutt reveals that decades after the abolition of slavery, Blacks were still considered more animal than human, and bettered suited to servitude than independence. One might say that Southern tradition regarding the social station, abilities, and limitations of Blacks were essential to their definition of themselves - and that these beliefs were at the very core of their beings. A war was powerless to change that core, and one's essence (essential part) cannot be altered through legislation, however well-meaning.