Conciliatory Approach to Afro-American National Question in Ralph Ellison’s Juneteenth

This article analyzes the issue of national liberation of Afro-Americans portrayed in Ralph Ellison's novel Juneteenth through the Marxist concept of dialectics. This concept holds the view that the struggle between the contradictory forces of society is absolute while the conciliation between them is conditional and temporary. This concept keeps the struggle with the oppressor nationality and class at the key position for the liberation of the oppressed nationality and class. Reverend Hickman, who is one of the two major characters of the novel, belongs to the oppressed Afro-American nationality and class. Hickman wants to liberate the oppressed Afro-American nationality from the shackles of their oppression but he adopts the wrong path of conciliation with the ruling whites of the USA. For Hickman, there is no solution of the black national oppression through the struggles of Afro-Americans, instead, for the solution, he seeks some divine personality like Abraham Lincoln from white’s nationality who will provide Afro-Americans their freedom, justice and equality. Hickman has raised Bliss in the hope to make him the person like Abraham Lincoln of America but Hickman is betrayed by Bliss who transformed himself into a race-baiting white senator Adam Sunraider. Even after the betrayal of Bliss, Hickman still keeps hope on Sunraider. Far from liberating the oppressed black nationality, this Hickman's message of absolute conciliationism with ruling whites makes the Afro-Americans vulnerable.