Although it seems simple, defining justice has always been a contentious issue in the United States. Some define justice as a set of rights and laws that all citizens are entitled to; it is upheld by the rule of law and the people who have sworn an oath to defend it. Others consider justice to be a constant push and pull between the dark and the light, each balancing out the other in a system that is already pre-determined. The protagonists of noir descend into the darkness of the world, playing with but never becoming completely caught in the shadows of the underworld. Yet Hugh only descends further into darkness despite seeking the light in Dorothy Hughes’s The Expendable Man.
While many works of noir employ visual and moral blackness that culminates in double-sided racism, Hughes covertly forces the reader to discern between their preconceived notions of justice and race. After the newspapers release an article confirming Iris’s death, Hugh dares not come forward to identify the young teenager’s body because it would pose too great of threat to his own wellbeing. Not only that, but Hugh knows that he would not be believed (Hughes 44). In attempting to navigate the segregated society of the United States in 1963, Hugh realizes that he is forced to choose between pre-imposed moral codes that were formed to visually and morally discern between the races. It may not have been completely clear to a reader of that time period that Hugh is black as he is portrayed as a concerned citizen; the noir novels of the time often intertwined physical darkness with moral darkness.Despite this, Hugh is determined to maintain his moral code and ascend into the light. “If he were to emerge from this grim geste unharmed, he must walk through it the same man who walked into it. He, Dr. Hugh Densmore, product of his heredity and environment, sufficiently intelligent and well adjusted to his mind and body and color and ambition” (Hughes 63). The privileges that Hugh’s class has afforded him have instilled a sense of pride in both his heritage and his moral code. He is part of the black burgeoisie class. Yet the harder he tries to ascend into the light, the more darkness he seems to be shrouded by.
I like the way that you describe how, in the context of noir which intertwines physical and moral darkness, Hugh is occupying an odd space where he is physically dark yet morally “light.” As you put it, he clearly has a moral code, and his status as an upper class American has given him the opportunity to learn and exercise that moral code. Of course, this comes into quick conflict when his morality gets him into trouble that his physical darkness only exacerbates. I think that what you wrote about is similar to what my feelings were in my last post regarding the question about race and class – it appears to me that Hughes is inviting us to see how each aspect of Hugh comes into play. I also think that it is worth asking similar questions 60 years later in our current day about how race and class interact with each other in our society.