The Autobiography of a Former Black Man by James Weldon Johnson is the life story of a bi-racial man growing up in the post-Civil War era of the United States. The story is told by a male narrator who remains unnamed throughout the story. Johnson takes the reader on a journey with this character who faces many internal struggles as he tries to find his place in American society. The narrator's struggles are not the typical struggles of an African American man in that time period nor the struggles faced by white men. Although racial differences in art, culture, and social class were very real in the narrator's life, the primary struggle he faced with his own identity was what plagued him the most and continued to mark him throughout his life. The narrator spends the first nine years of his life unaware of racial issues and believing himself to be white. He discovers, rather harshly, that he is African American after the principal of his school does not allow him to be with the rest of the white scholars in the class. The effects of this incident are clear when Johnson states: “Perhaps it had to be done, but I have never forgiven the woman who did it so cruelly. He may have never known that he slashed me that day at school, which meant years of healing. For the first time, the narrator experienced what it meant to be an African American during the Reconstruction era in the United States. This new identity problem arises not only because the narrator realizes that he is African American, but also because he is bi-racial. and can and was considered white until this discovery. From this point on the narrator continues his life learning and experiencing the differences between... middle of paper... children, even Johnson admits "there's nothing I wouldn't put up with to stop the brand from being put on They." She may question her choices and still struggle with her identity, as we all do, but she feels she made the best decision for her life and the lives of her children. He did not judge the men who stood tall and fought the fight for equality, but rather said, “Next to them I feel small and selfish.” Truly understanding what he gave up in the choices he made, Johnson ends the story by stating, “I cannot repress the thought that, after all, I chose the lesser part, that I sold my birthright for a bowl of lentils. “Works Cited Johnson, James W. “The Autobiography of a Former Colored Man.” The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Autobiography of a Former Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson. Np, 09 February 2004. Web. 05 April. 2014.