Essay

Have you ever wished or wondered if you could transform into a completely different person or animal and experience the same world you live in with a different perspective. If you could, would you? In the novel Black Like Me a middle aged man darkened his skin to a deep brown with medication to experience the life of a black man during the time where skin colour people were being discriminated in the US. Through his transformation and journey he realized and discovered that love and people with good intensions can exist in a world of hatred, prejudice and segregation between 2 completely different races living in 1 world.

John is at first unsure and panics when he sees his reflection as a black man and doesn't recognize himself. With fear and anxiety, John steps foot in New Orleans as a black man. He quickly realizes that even if he is the same man he has always begin, he now has no right to any restroom he desires, he cannot order a drink from the soda fountain and the word "nigger" is yelled at him everywhere he goes. The only ease and sympathy he feels, is from the black people around him.

Later on John decides to move around the south of the US, further into Alabama and Mississippi. Where the two states have a reputation of treating black people the worst. Despite the awareness of him begin killed by a group of racists. He sets out on a journey where he encounters all kinds of discrimination. Over time he becomes depressed by the hostility white people treat him with. He get's a look he calls the "hate-stare" wherever he is not wanted. At this point, in the novel, John realizes what it actually is like to be a black person, how bad it actually is. He decides to lay off his medication for a while to lighten his skin colour. But feels that he is betraying a group of people who have treated him as if he was a family member by taking the easy way out. 

As he continues to travel across the south of the US. He comes across a community who refuse to accept racism, they refuse to follow it's rules and refuse to be provoked by white people who threaten to punish them. John sees how much strength and determination they have. That he regains his courage to continue. He finally goes back to his family as himself, a white man and begins writing his story. Regardless of all the ugly events unwinding after he published his article and has being interviewed in a few talk shows, he receives letters from all over the world supporting him and congratulating him for his bravery. 

In the end things got pretty bad for him from all the threats he got from his community that he had to move to Mexico. Even though it was a lot of nerve racking moments he encounter. He was grateful that he met Sterling Williams, a shoe shiner and Bill Williams, who guided him and gave him advice, as well as other characters along the way that showed compassion towards him. John came to the conclusion that the two races don't quite understand each other but love and small kind actions from strangers can reassure you in a world of hatred, prejudice and segregation.