Throughout the semester, as we are introduced to a new book under the genre of “black noir” we have been prompted to ask ourselves, “What is our definition of black noir?” As we read Devil in a Blue Dress, a book that touches on many of the themes and storylines that we have read in other works, I have come to the conclusion that black noir follows a descent into darkness in the search for power and control. In many of the novels, we have read this semester which we have categorized as “black noir,” we have looked at black characters and their attempt to establish agency and control over their lives, in a world where racism prevails, and they are seen as less than a person. While many of these characters take different approaches to obtain power and control of their lives, they can each be seen as sinking more into moral ambiguity and darkness in order to do so.
In If He Hollers, Let Him Go, it is clear that Bob already exists in a world of darkness, in which he is paranoid and scared for his life. He lacks agency and power and as a black man in the United States he is not treated as a human being, and this becomes clearer to Bob through his interaction with white women. In order to regain control over himself and his life, Bob attempts to establish dominance over women. Bob’s abusive actions towards Alice when she is interacting with Stella or his violent thoughts about Madge, could be seen as a descent into darkness in order to gain some sense of power, in a world where it feels like he has none.
In Never Die Alone, the character of King David can be seen descending into darkness as he is tricking people into being addicted to heroin and then exploiting their addiction to obtain money and sexual favors. King David does all of this to obtain power. King David’s approach to power and his willingness to take advantage of others to get this power, shows that in the black noir genre, characters have to sacrifice something and enter a world of moral ambiguity in order to obtain some sense of control in a world that is already, for them, quite dark due to the evils of racism and persistent socioeconomic inequalities.
Finally, in Devil in a Blue Dress, we once again see this descent into darkness as Easy is trying to maintain his power or control, which he attributes to his house and owning property. In the novel, it is clear that Easy sees owning property as his power: “I felt that I was just as good as any white man, but if I didn’t even own my front door then people would look at me like just another poor beggar, with his hand outstretched” (9). As Easy lost his job, the only way in which he can maintain his power is by working for Mr. Albright, therefore, descending into darkness and moral ambiguity.
This definition of black noir may not be applicable to all the books we read this semester, as The Expendable Man may be seen as an exception; however, I think that this definition exemplifies the distinction between black noir and noir, as these characters have to sacrifice a lot and a certain sense of morals in order to gain even the slightest sense of control or power over their own lives, unlike characters like Sam Spade, who have power thrust upon them by society.
I really like your reflection of what your revised definition of Black Noir is. While I don’t disagree with your definition and it’s something that I’ve had trouble defining as well, I wonder if this definition could be applicable to a lot of books that aren’t necessarily noir. For example, Harry Potter could technically be argued as a “descent into darkness” and a “hunger for power” as Harry drifts farther and farther into the wizarding world and into Voldemort’s depths. I think that Noir was a lot easier to define when we had the classic detective murder mystery novel.
I enjoyed reading about how the books we read in class took a different approach to the trope of “descent into darkness.”I also like how you described King David’s way of doing the bad things that he is doing as a way for him to gain control in a world where he has none. It’s almost like Noir has this thing about tapping into every fear that every person has which is losing control.
I think that the distinction that you make between black noir and noir is interesting because, while I always thought that the two were at least slightly different, I never thought of the difference as much more than the skin color of the characters and/or authors (which of course changes their experiences and the nature of the stories themselves). That said, I think the distinction that you make about how someone like Sam Spade has power thrust upon him by society is a very astute one. I do think, though, in classical noir there is still a sense of a sacrifice of morality even though the power may not be gained through that sacrifice.