The Better of Society With the harsh conditions that the African American slaves had to go through before the American Civil War, there was hope for the future as the north won and slaves were to be freed. However, things never turn out as well as they seem. The reconstruction period was a very harsh and violent time during American history. With the forming of the KKK, and massive racial hate spreading throughout the north and the south, it was hard to find peace. In Charles W. Chesnutt “The Marrow of Tradition” there are multiple plotlines to follow over a cast of unique characters. First, there are Mr. and Mrs. Carteret, a wealthier white family who after years of trying for a baby, finally succeed in getting one, only to have to fear of it constantly being in poor health. Then there is…show more content… Sandy was what the whites considered to be what African Americans should be. He was loyal to his family, never raised his voice and did not question the white supremacy or how he was treated by those outside of the Delamere family, he was just trying to get by. And though he was later accused by the grandson Tom Delamere of murder of Polly Ochiltree, he was eventually set free due to the grandfather being a good man and telling the truth about his grandson being the true murderer. And lastly, there is the Miller family. William Miller is a black doctor of mixed race who is doing well for himself, only coming back to Wellington to start up a hospital. He and his wife, Janet Miller (who is the half sister of Mrs. Carteret), have a child, who remains nameless in the story, only to have the child die in the riots and leave the two devastated. By leaving the child nameless and holding true to the timeline, not only was Chesnutt able to show the social and historical aspects of the piece, but also the political stand point and how it affected society in the south. Sadly, since occurrences like this would occur more often than liked, the story reflects United
