The book The Lonely Londoner written by Sam Selvon, describes the bittersweet story of a group of West Indian immigrants living in 1950s London. The book offers an evocative look at the city through the tired eyes of a black man, Moses Aloetta, a veteran Londoner who somewhat reluctantly welcomes newcomers from his homeland and shows them the tricks of the trade. One of these newcomers is Henry Oliver. Oliver, better known as Galahad, is a lively Trinidadian man who comes to London in search of economic opportunity. The book follows the struggles of Galahad and others who, like him, arrive in London thinking the streets are paved with gold but then discover that life as an immigrant is hard. Everything is expensive, and the white population is wary of black faces (or “spades” as they are called throughout the book) despite the “open door” policy that allows citizens of the colonies to settle in Britain. In an attempt to come to terms with white attitudes toward Galahad and other Caribbean immigrants, Selvon delves into the discussion of disassociation from skin color. This further demonstrates not only the level of racism in the text, but also shows how this discrimination made these black men self-conscious and questioning their self-worth due to the discrimination they suffered at the hands of white Londoners. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In the book, Galahad experienced what can be considered skin color dissociation or splitting of oneself. This theory suggests that the self fragments into the “self as human” and the “self as black.” In Galahad's case, he sees the color of his skin as the root cause of all his pain. Thus he begins to dissociate the self from the skin. He begins to think about and relate to his racialized self, represented by his skin, as a separate being who could be blamed for the trauma and atrocities that were imposed on him. The color black has become an object of hatred for him; something that has expelled him from the society he desperately wants to be a part of. For this reason he would like to be anything but this color. He stated very fiercely, “Why the hell can't you be blue, or red, or green, if you can't be white?” In this line, Galahad indicates that he would have wanted to be anything but black if he could not be white; because he knows the privileges afforded to those who are close to white even if they aren't fully there. Ultimately, he wishes to have white skin because those who display a lighter skin tone appear to be treated fairly and live an advantageous lifestyle because of it. This is observed through Bart, the light-skinned immigrant who uses his proximity to whiteness for economic and social advancement. Bart refuses to work menial jobs like most immigrants and instead finds himself working an office job of which he becomes extremely proud. He is also dating a white woman and is tired of being seen with people he considers "too black." This is because there are greater job prospects, opportunities for financial stability, access to higher education, better living conditions, and healthcare for white or near-white people. The idea of ​​being treated unfairly is another effect of this skin color dissociation that is indicative of the insidious power of racism. A common definition of racism is the belief that “race is the primary determinant of human traits and abilities and that racial differences produce an intrinsic superiority of oneparticular race." “Racism is the unequal treatment of a population group simply because of its possession of physical or other characteristics socially defined as denoting a particular race” (Sociology Oxford Dictionary, 2005). Particular attention is paid to the words “socially defined”. Because racism is not a natural occurrence, as some may believe, and does not always exist to the same extent for the same reasons. Racism exists when people create and allow it. It can vary in different countries, between different nations and within different societies. In the text, Selvon strategically created scenarios that showed racism, to reflect the era in which the text was written. Having been written at a time when it prominently exposed the plight of black immigrants in London. One of the scenarios that show signs of racism is the scene where a little girl shouts "Mommy, look at that black man!" referring to Sir Galahad. This is indicative of how segregated this society is because if there had been a regular coexistence of whites and blacks in the same community, the girl would not have been so inclined to point out the color of her skin. As a result, her mother responded by telling her that she shouldn't say that; trying to address her child's behavior. Galahad apologized for the incident and said that she was such a sweet child, which made her mother react by showing a sort of sickly smile, implying that she was disgusted by the exchange. She was especially careful of those around her and didn't want anyone to see her in a black dress. This racial discrimination portrays Galahad as someone unpleasant and unworthy. He is judged based on the color of his skin and is never given the opportunity to correct these negative premonitions of his character. Combined with the act of racism and splitting oneself, the question of self-acceptance is found throughout the text. Since Galahad cannot understand the concept of racism, he tries to distance himself from the color of his skin. Black is an important part of his identity. Galahad is a Trinidadian and one of the most precious assets Trinidadians have is their dark, sun-kissed skin. This skin is a representation of their origin and creates links to their history. Black Trinidadians are a “creation” of the Europeans who destroyed the Amerindians during the colonial period. Their existence, in fact, is historically marked by violence, slavery and destruction; that's who I am. This is who Galahad is. Yet he so easily despises his skin because of the mistreatment it has brought upon him, forgetting that this darkness is what symbolizes the struggle his people have had to fight throughout history. This color is precisely what allows him to be part of a communion, that is, between him and Moses and the other men mentioned in the text. He blames the color as if he can take responsibility for his own actions. Failing to realize that speaking so passionately itself is a part of him, a part of his identity, a part of what identifies him as a Caribbean native, as part of the brotherhood between him and Moses and the others men mention in the text. The color is him and he is that color. So they are both equally responsible for each other. In a society where racism is so prevalent, it is much wiser for Galahad to try to win on his own merits instead of focusing on his color. Instead of trying to find a problem within himself as a way to justify the treatment white people mete out to Galahad and others like him, he needs to understand that his skin doesn't warrant it. The racism they experienced is rather a reflection of hatred and.