Dry September Essay, Research Paper
Dry September
Individually none of the men would have attack the black man, but the crowd mentality caused them to take actions that they normally wouldn?t have. The client, McLendon, and the youth are three prime examples of men who become influenced and dependent on the others.
The client was a cold, prejudice man living with nothing better to do than raise havoc in the township. He spoke of the whole southern country community at one point, with deep prejudice feelings intact. He was at the barbershop when the discussion of what had happened between the white female, Miss Minnie Cooper and a Negro. He got involved saying ? You better go back North where you came from. The South don?t want your kind here.? He harassed the barber because he was protecting the black man. Well, not so much protecting but was stating his opinion towards the conversation. The client didn?t believe the black man or ?nigger? was said to be a good man. The barber kept telling the clients and everyone else that was in the parlor that he thought that Will Mayes was innocent, because he knew Will and knew he was a good man of good morals. The client was harsh and kept refusing to accept that the barber was trying to defend on Mayes? behalf. The conversation carries on in the parlor for a while when McLendon steps into the shop and makes an implied grand entrance. He throws out questions to the audience at the shop and asks who?s joining in with him to find the black man and kill him. Truth at this point was beyond what they were after. They were just ready to let black folks in the south know that they have no justice towards their name when it comes to white vs. black issues.