The Artificial Nigger

"The Artificial Nigger" is a short story by Flannery O'Connor. It was published in 1955 in her short story collection A Good Man Is Hard to Find. The title refers to statues popular in the Jim Crow-era South, depicting grotesque minstrelcy characters. Like most of her other works, the story reflects O'Connor's Roman Catholic beliefs and acts as a parable.

Plot summary

Mr. Head and his ten-year-old grandson, Nelson, live in a small rural town in Georgia, and Nelson is visiting Atlanta for the first time since his birth. Nelson is sure he will enjoy the city, but his grandfather tells him that he is naive, and pokes fun at Nelson during their train ride because he has never seen an African American. After seeing some impressive buildings, Mr. Head takes Nelson to see the less impressive side of the city, including the sewer system which reminds Nelson of hell and then Mr. Head walks Nelson through the predominantly African American section of town where they get lost. Not wanting to ask anyone there for directions, Mr. Head finally acquiesces to Nelson's requests and allows the boy to ask an African American woman for directions. The situation is embarrassing for Nelson and the grandfather. They remain lost, and Nelson runs into an older white woman, knocking her down. When the crowd demands to know who is responsible for the boy, Mr. Head denies knowing him. Nelson feels betrayed and loses respect for the grandfather. Eventually, a stranger points them to the train station and along the way they pass by an African American figurine from which the story gets its title. Mr. Head explains that it is there because the people in that neighborhood don't have real ones so they need artificial ones. Mr. Head feels like he has redeemed their relationship at this point in the story, and Nelson has no intention to return to the city.^[1]

References