Notes of a Native Son Lesson Plan

What does Baldwin mean when he writes that George and Eliza are “a race apart from Topsy”? Why does this disparity matter in the context of Uncle Tom's Cabin? Is Baldwin speaking literally here? What does he seem to be suggesting about race?

Students might cite the language Baldwin uses around these characters—for example, “Eliza is a beautiful, pious hybrid, light enough to pass" and “George is darker, but makes up for it by being a mechanical genius," perhaps noting that religious (specifically Christian) piety and intellectual intelligence are both highly valued by and most often associated with white people in the book. They might contrast these values with the way...