The constant push and pull between darkness and light, the descent into the exigencies of society, the persistence of religion in the lives of people in all areas of gritty Los Angeles–these are essential facets of Himes’ If He Hollers Let Him Go. Black noir evolves the righteous male protagonist in that instead of merely playing with the shadows of society like Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade, Bob Jones is unable to shake free these chains. Yet he is able to navigate the anarchy of the 1930s and 1940s in a way that the white male protagonists of noir cannot. Bob is excluded from the “traditional” white nostalgia as he is the one who is changing the metaphorical and literal face of LA; nevertheless, he adopts the role of the Christ-like figure.
It is obvious that Bob is excluded from the religious nature of white nationalism; this is evidenced by the reaction of the white male workers after Bob curses Madge for refusing to work with him. At first, they hesitate to come to Madge’s defense, yet one of them invoke the name of God and appear to threaten Bob with a metal bar after she chastises them (27). The divide between white and black religion is solidified when Elsie, Madge’s sister-in-law, expresses her beliefs on black people and the way that Jim Crow religion views them.
‘… the sooner you understand that God made you coloured folks ‘cause he wanted to, ‘cause when he made us in His image He had to make somebody else to fill up the world, so He made you. Not that I say coloured folks should have to serve white people, but you know yo’self God got dark angels in heaven what serve the white ones–that’s in the Bible plain enough for anybody to see’ (Himes 133).
Himes reveals the inherent bias that Jim Crow religion maintains against black people by referencing the infamous Mark of Cain and the rigid hierarchy of races. It is made clear that Bob does not belong to this religion, and he declares that he does not wish to either (153).
Yet Bob adopts the role of the Christ-like figure who usurps the authority of the majority religion. After Judge Morgan declares that Bob will receive a so-called “gracious” punishment by being drafted into the Army, two Mexican men who have also been imprisoned join him in his fate, making cracks about his appearance in an attempt to distract themselves from the loss of their freedom. “They fell in beside me and we went out and started up the hill towards the induction center, the three of us abreast and the cop in the rear. Two hours later I was in the Army.” (203) Himes alludes to the two thieves who were crucified alongside Jesus; their journey to hell is compared to the three men’s forced service in the Army. The Mexican youth mock Bob at first, just as the two thieves mocked Jesus. Yet all three accept that they are excluded from the Jim Crow religion, searching for God in the darkness of their own world.