What is the unique predicament of those of "mixed blood"?

Chesnutt suggests that it can be difficult to forge an individual identity with the weight of history resting upon a person. Mr. Ryder has tried to carve out an identity for himself in the North. He is successful, influential, and cultured, and occupies a position of power in the community. He sees himself as closer to the white race than the black, and does not see the need to engage with a part of his identity that he sees as lesser or shameful. However, the past and his true identity as a black man in America catch up with him through the figure of Liza Jane. Her presence forces him to acknowledge how the war, the institution of slavery, and navigating a racist society shaped who he was, even if he tried to suppress those things. It is possible now with his embrace of "the wife of his youth" that Mr. Ryder may work to reconcile both sides of his identity.